Cheers 'replica' bar in Faneuil Hall, Boston is closing down for good
It would be very easy to blame it on Covid alone, but we should reflect on what the owner said
When I learnt that Cheers bar in Boston was closing down for good, I was genuinely very sad. On a personal level, we usually care about bars and restaurants we frequent on a regular basis but the scale of the problem is much bigger than that.
I remember, clear as day, the newspaper headlines when Caffè Florian in St Mark Square in Venice temporarily closed down because of Covid. Caffè Florian was established a lifetime ago and during its 300-year old history it always remained open, even during the War. Sensationalist headlines aside, this is all we've been hearing and reading about for months. The harsh truth is that the hospitality industry has been hit hard by Covid and the fact of the matter is that a worrying number of bars and restaurants won't reopen.
The combination of forced closure of bars during national lockdowns, insufficient government support and widespread business slowdown across the globe was deadly. According to data released by Yelp, around 60% of American restaurant closures since March 1 have been permanent and things aren't getting any better because businesses are still struggling to pay rent while operating at reduced capacity. Even high-profile bars such as Cheers aren't doing well.
The original bar was established in Beacon Hill in 1895 while the current Cheers bar was founded in 1969 as the Bull & Finch Pub. The bar gained global popularity after appearing in the hit NBC sitcom Cheers, which ran between 1982 and 1993. In 2001, in order to capitalize on the popularity of the show, Bull & Finch opened a new bar called 'Cheers' in Faneuil Hall, designed as a replica of the TV bar. One year later, in 2002, the original Bull & Finch changed its name to Cheers. While the original Cheers is still open, the Cheers replica bar is expected to close its doors on August 30, as confirmed by CEO Markus Ripperger in an interview with CBS Boston and the words of Cheers co-founder Tom Kershaw.
In a press release, Mr Kershaw said that "Cheers has faced and pulled through many kinds of downturns and upsticks in the economy over the last 20 years. Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with no assistance from our landlord has made this current challenge insurmountable.” In fact, Mr Kershaw also said that Faneuil Hall Marketplace isn't doing too well either, he told Boston Magazine that "the whole place looks like it’s closed down."
It would be very easy to blame it on Covid alone but the owners were very clear on what happened and the 'no assistance from our landlord' part of the press release is food for thought. Things don't look too bright now and various reports keep telling us that it's going to get worse before it gets better. In June, the Independent Restaurant Coalition conducted a research and the report suggests that 85% of independent restaurants could permanently close by the end of the year. I guess the best we can do is revel in the knowledge that things will probably turn out to be not as bad as we feared, not as good as we hoped. Because that's what usually happens.
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Comments (6)
I have been there for a drink and a Norm Burger . Cheers was based on that bar you see on tv near the Boston Common on Beacon Hill in Boston. Sad to see the replica close .
I remember my Dad showing myself and my cousin Tony this spot. One of the last time we we're in Boston, during the 90s.
So, there are two Boston bars called “Cheers”
The show was based on the Beacon Hill bar called “Bull & Finch” which was used for the exterior shots, and in the header photo here. The actual bar inside looks nothing like the bar from the show. They rebranded it in the early 2000s as “Cheers”
The replica bar was built around the same time in another part of Boston, and was built to look like the set from the show. This would be the one that is closing.
yup, the "original" one is still open
A wee bit sad. In other news, I can play the theme song on the piano.
I have this vague idea that well known watering holes will be re-invented , re- discovered and reborn as mobile versions built on to semi trailers or tractor trailers , and parked on the service roads that run off of the highways betwixt suburban shopping malls and tennis or ski resorts .
If McDonalds can set up mini burger ski thrus on the ski slopes , why can’t a retired baseball player like Ted Danson do the same with Cheers ?
Cheers .