- Bernt Rostad / Foter / CC BY
The Cape Gazette reports that the long-closed Finbar’s will reopen under new owner Dogfish Head.
The company had earlier indicated it was still working on plans for the building on Rehoboth Avenue.
According to the newspaper story will spend $1 million to upgrade the space and maintain a separate identity from the nearby Dogfish Head brewpub.
No decision on the format for the restaurant has yet been made.
Finbar’s an Irish-themed restaurant and bar has been closed since late 2013, following its acquisition by Dogfish Head, which is owned by Sam and Mariah Calagione.
The restaurant site was never part of the controversial project to renovate the brewpub next door, although owners are now seeking a single alcohol permit for the sites.
The Dogfish brewpub project led to an initial rejection by the city’s Zoning Appeals Board, which later reversed its decision after an outcry from some residents and supporters of Dogfish Head.
Brewery officials said the building was in dire need of an overhaul.
Dogfish beers are served nationwide and the company’s brewery tours, brewpub and small inn in Lewes are a significant part of the key tourism sector in the county.
Dogfish now employs nearly 200 people in Sussex County.
Meanwhile, the city is looking for ways to regulate brewpubs in Rehoboth.
Mayor Sam Cooper, apparently bruised by the earlier battle, was quoted by the Cape Gazette as saying he felt the city was coerced into approving the Dogfish brewpub expansion.
Cooper is questioning the distilling operation at the brewpub, which sells its products outside its premises.
Dogfish Head is ramping up its distilling operation, although the bulk of production will take place at the Milton site.
It has been a busy year for Dogfish Head, which is selling a 15 percent stake to a private equity investment firm as it spends $9 million on a water treatment plan at the Milton brewery.
