Kildare's Irish Pub in Manayunk closes after 12 years
It "ran its course," said owner Dave Magrogan. "When we opened, Irish was the hottest thing going."
Kildare's Irish Pub, which opened in 2004 at 4417 Main St. in Manayunk, closed after business Sunday, Sept. 4.
"The building needed considerable improvements right now - plumbing, roof, HVAC," owner Dave Magrogan said. "We couldn't keep operating under those conditions."
Magrogan also said Kildare's "ran its course. ... When we opened, Irish was the hottest thing going." Then the craft beer craze took off. One Magrogan-operated Kildare's - in Scranton - remains; last year, he sold the original location, in West Chester, to a former manager.
Magrogan added that he was considering changing the building to a Red Star Craft House - a pizza/beer/wine bar that he operates in Exton Square Mall.
That decision will be made after further talks with building owner Dan Neducsin. Magrogan, who returned a call placed to Neducsin, said a Red Star would involve a major renovation. "We won't go in and just put a coat of paint on it," Magrogan said.
Magrogan, meanwhile, has been shuffling his portfolio, closing Doc Magrogan's Oyster House in University City over the summer as he ramps up his complement of Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar.
Kildare's is a defendant in a lawsuit filed by the family of Shane Montgomery, a young man who died Thanksgiving 2014 after drinking at the bar. The death was ruled accidental.
Update: Kildare's gift cards can be refunded or transferred to another Magrogan restaurant, he said. Call the office at 610-431-2485 and speak with Sarah Christie.