After undergoing a significant renovation at its original location in Bethlehem Township, the second Keystone Pub & Grill facility—which has been in business for more than ten years—has permanently closed.
In Whitehall Township, the Keystone Pub & Grill at 1410 Grape St. shuttered its doors for good on Sunday night. The owners on Saturday posted the statement on the pub's Facebook page.
"Being a part of the Whitehall community for the past 12 years has been a great honor for Keystone Pub & Grill's Grape Street location," the post said. "We have an incredible opportunity that will allow us to devote all of our attention to the recently restored Bethlehem Pub. We wish the new owners all the very best as this will be our last weekend here. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you, and we are grateful for your 12-year business relationship with Whitehall.
The message continued, praising the Whitehall staff as "diligent and devoted," adding, "We cannot thank them enough." It also speaks to the devoted regulars, referred to as "pub scouts." We are filled with excitement as we focus entirely on our initial establishment. We hope to see you at our Bethlehem location for the same delicious beers and wings! "Show up at the PUB!" the message continued.
The post had received roughly 215 reactions, 55 comments, and 59 shares by Monday morning. Many users mentioned how much they will miss the Keystone Pub Whitehall, how they would miss celebrating anniversaries there, and how much they would miss its wings mixed in a variety of sauces. The tavern was well-known for its salads, burgers, sandwiches, and tacos in addition to its wings. Half-price snacks and drink specials were offered during happy hour. With 51 beers on tap, the Whitehall location also boasted a massive assortment of craft beers.
What will happen at the Whitehall location next is unknown. On Monday morning, it was not possible to get in contact with Whitehall co-owner Savvas Kiprislis for further details. But he still owns the Whitehall building, he told WFMZ-69 News, and he intends to lease the space to a "known restaurant brand" that has other sites. Along with his sister Katerina Hronis and her husband, Gus Hronis, of the Harrisburg region, Kiprislis still owns the bar in Bethlehem Township. The Hronis family comes originally from Northampton Borough and Whitehall, respectively. The three of them launched their first restaurant in December 2005 near Bethlehem Township's Easton Avenue and Willow Park Road. In April 2012, they established a second Whitehall restaurant close to Whitehall's Lehigh Valley and Whitehall malls.
The previous owner of the historic Bethlehem Township land had held the reins for almost four years before the trio purchased the property. Gus Hronis was already well-established as an entrepreneur in the Lehigh Valley at the time. His parents previously owned Miller's Diner in Northampton Borough, and he was the previous proprietor of the former Dockside Inn in Catasauqua.
Kiprislis had no intention of opening a restaurant. Rather, he attended and completed Whitehall High School before attending Alvernia University in Reading, Berks County, to obtain a bachelor's degree in biochemistry. With the hope of becoming a doctor someday, he worked as a lab chemist at Allentown-based Air Products and Chemicals for three years. Not until he spent a summer in Ocean City, Maryland, did Kiprislis start to consider a different professional path in earnest. He happened to find the Fish Tales Bar and Grill on the waterfront there. His motivation for working as a bartender at Fish Tales was the excitement of the nightlife. According to a previous statement made to lehighvalleylive.com, Kiprislis knew he intended to start something comparable in the Lehigh Valley at that point. About two years ago, the structure from the early 19th century had a significant renovation at the Bethlehem Township location.
George Butz constructed the structure, which is today known as the former grain mill, in 1806. R. T. Schweitzer later transformed the mill into the Butztown Hotel. In the 1800s, it housed rooms on the top floors. After purchasing the land in the 1950s, Howard Searfass would often visit the location to play poker with friends while his daughters worked as bartenders. According to the company website, Charles and Nancy Eyster later acquired the building and named it "The Butz." "The Butz" changed its name to the Keystone Pub & Grill Bethlehem in 2000.
After a long break, pubgoers were welcomed back in the spring of 2022 to a larger location with an open floor design, more seats, an outside dining area, and speedier service. Just prior to the closure in March 2020, Kiprislis had planned to start major renovations and a 1,000-square-foot expansion to the 5,000-square-foot, three-story building that already stood. Before the coronavirus epidemic struck, his goal was to finish the five-phase project in one year.
But the epidemic had other ideas.
Kiprislis detailed a number of delays, difficulties, and obstacles, including shortages of supplies and the need for crews to take sick leave. Further delays resulted from an excavating team hitting rock while preparing the foundation for the addition. For sixteen weeks, the three of them waited for steel beams that were expected to arrive in four weeks. The renovation ultimately resulted in the Bethlehem Township site's temporary shutdown in June 2021. The renovation took two years to finish and cost close to seven figures overall. Without a doubt, Kiprislis had stated, if the crew that made it happen had not been so determined, it might have taken even longer. The Longacre Company, which is based in Bally, Berks County, Agentis Plumbing, and Ondra-Huyett Associates, Inc., all of Bethlehem, completed the work.
The new 6,000-square-foot structure can accommodate up to 120 people. There is a new dining space with a front porch on the second story, a larger bar on the main level, and an extended kitchen. There are at least ten tables on this new outdoor patio located along the west side. Upstairs are contemporary bathrooms. The tavern has at least twenty-five LED flatscreen TVs installed, and there may be more outdoors. Extra room is available for community and private activities. The cuisine of the Bethlehem Township location has always been comparable to that of Whitehall. Kiprislis had stated that there were roughly 36 to 40 taps.
Even more work has been completed in the past few months. It looks like workers are constructing an entertainment space on the grassy patch beside the patio on the west side. The owners host a number of community functions on the side patio, such as the pub's annual charity golf tournament held in the summer. Keystone Pub & Grill Bethlehem is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to midnight and on Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight or later.
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