Multiple Pittsburgh area establishments are either closing their doors for good or facing uncertain futures. Here is a look at the three latest food and drink spots causing flux in the local hospitality scene.
Goodlander Cocktail Brewery
Goodlander announced the closure of its taproom, Goodlander Cocktail Brewery, in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood, effective June 6. The decision comes just ahead of the taproom’s fifth anniversary.
“Our goal from day one was to create drinks to delight and satisfy, to leave as light an environmental footprint as possible, and to welcome everyone through our doors,” the brewery wrote in a social media post announcing the closure on Tuesday. “We are filled with gratitude towards our customers, our excellent local vendors, and our wholesale partners all around the ‘Burgh. Thank you for supporting our operation all this time.”
The post noted that “this is not a goodbye – it’s a see you later,” with plans to announce future steps soon.
Based in Pittsburgh, Goodlander produces craft cocktails, spirits and non-alcoholic beverages, offering wholesale distribution and catering.
Goodlander Cocktail Brewery opened on Hamilton Avenue in May 2021. Billed as Pittsburgh’s first craft cocktail brewery — a hybrid of a craft beer brewery and a cocktail bar — the taproom specialized in low-waste, highball-style drinks.
Before closing, the taproom will host a series of final events, including an anniversary celebration on May 31.
TribLive could not immediately reach a Goodlander representative on Wednesday.
Voodoo Brewing Company
Voodoo Brewing Company notified a group of crowdfunding investors that their ownership shares will be effectively worthless after an upcoming asset sale.
In an email first released by the news platform Breweries in PA on Tuesday, Voodoo Brewing Company board chairman and CEO Matthew Rachocki announced the company is selling all its operating assets to a new ownership entity.
“We understand that this news may come as a surprise to many of you, and we felt it was important to communicate with honesty and transparency once the transaction reached a point where formal notice was appropriate,” the email signed by Rachocki reads.
Voodoo Brewing investors who participated through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) — a legal entity that allows multiple investors to invest in a single entity, as with crowdfunding — were informed their investments will retain no value after the sale closes.
Rachocki stated that under the structure of the transaction, SPV participants will not receive shares or equity in the new acquiring company and existing shares “are not expected to retain realizable value.”
The email advised recipients to consider their investments a loss.
Although the new ownership is expected to make investments in the brewery’s operations with potential profit-sharing opportunities down the line, this is a “general intent,” according to the email, with no “formal structure, timeline, or guarantee.”
According to information on Honeycomb Credit, a crowdfunding portal, the Meadville, Pa.-based brewery has raised more than $500,000 from 350 investors since March 2024.
Rachocki alluded to financial difficulties at the brewery and in the larger craft beer brewing industry.
“Like many independent breweries across the country, Voodoo Brewing Company faced significant challenges, including shifts in consumer behavior, rising operating costs, tightening capital markets, increased competition, industry contraction, and a number of internal and external headwinds that ultimately placed substantial pressure on the business,” the investor email said.
Voodoo Brewing Company was founded in 2005, expanding with a taproom in 2012. A second taproom opened in Homestead in 2015. More than 20 locations have opened across Pennsylvania and Ohio, including now-shuttered breweries in Seven Fields and on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. A Voodoo Brewing in New Kensington operates as an independently-owned location.
A representative of Voodoo Brewing Company in Meadville could not be reached for comment.
The Abbey on Butler Street
The Abbey on Butler Street filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Friday after 10 years in business, according to court documents. A voluntary filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania by The Abbey Group LLC lists $1 million to $10 million in liabilities against $50,000 to $100,000 in estimated assets.
The Lawrenceville restaurant plans to stay open during the process.
“The intention here is to protect their patrons, continue operations and hopefully have no disruption whatsoever,” David Z. Valencik, the bankruptcy attorney representing The Abbey’s ownership, told TribLive on Wednesday.
Valencik said that his client’s goal is financial reorganization.
“While today’s economic realities have presented significant challenges for hospitality businesses, we remain optimistic about the future,” The Abbey Group LLC said in a prepared statement.
Friday’s bankruptcy filing lists 20 creditor claims, including vendors, and reveals debt to tax authorities. The largest unsecured claim comes from Abbey co-founder Christopher McAleer, who holds a 31.65% stake in the business. McAleer is claiming nearly $758,000 for daily operations and delinquent tax loans.
McAleer and business partner Eric Kukura transformed a former funeral home in Lawrenceville into The Abbey in 2016. The multi-concept space features a coffee shop, cocktail bars and a full-service restaurant.