Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, founded in 1996 in Newark, Delaware, appeared on the comeback trail with a new CEO and plans to refresh its F&B and upgrade loyalty. But the chain Thursday shuttered the entirety of its remaining locations after closing three Philadelphia-area stores weeks earlier. The chain on social media posted a note saying, “after many wonderful years serving our communities, all Iron Hill locations have closed.”
“It has been our pleasure to serve you, and we are deeply grateful for your support, friendship, and loyalty over the years.”
Iron Hill, which also noted it was declaring bankruptcy, added it hoped to return in the future. Earlier in September, Iron Hill’s closures included the company’s flagship in Newark.
CEO Mark Kirke, who onboarded about eight months ago, said in a statement on September 10 the closures were “truly part of a larger growth story” and evolution of the brand.
Iron Hill had scaled over the decades to East Coast markets such as New Jersey, Delaware, South Carolina, Georgia, and Pennsylvania, and collected some 88 World Beer Cup medals along the way. It told FSR it was plotting a Temple University opening in 2025 and another “two or three” sites were under exploration.
According to reports, Iron Hill issued an email to employees Thursday notifying them all units were going dark. It also said the company made the “difficult decision” to declare bankruptcy, citing ongoing financial challenges.
Breweries in PA shared the full announcement, which revealed Iron Hill was working behind the scenes to secure new funding and explore “alternative solutions” to avoid what happened. “Communicating the financial challenges to the team ahead of time would have compromised our ability to secure the additional funding needed,” it said.
“The decision was not made lightly,” the email continued, “and we understand the impact it will have on each of you. We are committed to supporting our team members during this transition and will provide information regarding final paychecks, benefits, and resources for finding new employment.”
Iron Hill’s final payroll off-cycle was processed Thursday. In tandem with the email, Iron Hill posted the same notice it shared on social to its website, and pinned the message to doors of shuttered locations.
In all, Iron Hill closed 16 stores on Thursday. Its 19 venues pre-earlier retraction included three in Delaware, two in New Jersey, one in Georgia, two in South Carolina, and 11 in Pennsylvania.
Kirke came over to Iron Hill in January from TooJay’s. He also clocked time at P.F. Chang’s, Artistry Restaurants, Shrimp Basket, and Hillstone. Kirke shared with FSR over the summer he was attracted to Iron Hill’s equity as a restaurant as well as a brewery operation (it labeled as a craft kitchen and scratch brewery). “The quality of beer, the constant evolution of the beer, how they’ve stayed relevant in a very tough, tough sector. Restaurant business is hard, brewery business is harder, combining those two into the one, it’s very difficult to stay relevant,” he said.
As noted, he was working toward a menu refresh that planned to lean into brunch, earlier hours, and reworked beverages outside of beer. The chain grew its wine list 50 percent and elevated its selections, launching with 50 percent off bottles from 4 to 8 p.m. on Sundays.
Additionally, Iron Hill switched up its loyalty approach. It was charging a one-time fee of $20 to be part of its” King of the Hill Rewards Club,” a membership that came with exclusive access to upcoming releases and events, monthly members appreciation nights, and a variety of ways to earn additional rewards. But service staff felt uncomfortable talking to guests about joining the loyalty program because of the cost associated with it, Kirke noted. So Iron Hill decided to add a second, free version. “Iron Circle Rewards Club,” which offered a point for every $1 spent, a reward for every 200 points earned, a birthday reward, and 50 bonus points on first mobile app check-in, joined in.
Iron Hill’s bankruptcy joins a host of other full-serves of late as restaurants grapple with a challenging market, including Pinstripes, Abuelo’s, Bravo! Italian Kitchen and Brio Italian Grille, Red Lobster, TGI Fridays, Hooters, Planta, On The Border, Bar Louie, Sticky Fingers Rib House, Buca di Beppo, and Melt Bar & Grilled.
