NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — Plans to open a P.J. Whelihan’s at the Village at Newtown received a nod from the township’s planning commission on Tuesday.
The planners voted unanimously to recommend that the board of supervisors grant conditional use approval for the popular pub and restaurant, which will take over the lease and liquor license of the now-closed Iron Hill Brewery.
Iron Hill abruptly shut down operations, including its Newtown brewery, last fall, and filed for bankruptcy. It had operated a restaurant and brewery at the village since 2019.
Land development attorney Joe Blackburn, representing the PJW Restaurant Group at the meeting, said the new restaurant and pub will occupy 6,200 square feet of the 7,200-square-foot space, but will not be using the existing 1,000-square-foot brewing operation.
“PJ’s is not proposing any brewing operation and is not planning to use the space, which is still occupied by several thousand-gallon brewing tanks, the disposition of which remains ongoing,” said Blackburn. “They will remain very large attractive ornaments for the time being.”
The restaurant is planning a similar seating and bar area with 12 fewer indoor seats, but with the same amount of outdoor seating.
David Chojnowski, vice president of development with the PJW Restaurant Group, said the layout of the dining area will remain pretty much the same. There will, however, be a change in seating in the bar area with plans to replace several rows of booths with high-top tables.
“That’s the only thing we are changing with the layout, and that’s to free up more space and to make it less congested around the bar,” he said.
The restaurant plans to employ about 29 workers per shift when it opens sometime this spring.
“We’re very happy that you’re coming here. A lot of people are excited to see the operation open,” said planning chairwoman Peggy Driscoll after listening to the presentation.
“I’m always happy to get rid of blank store windows,” added planner Terry Christensen.
Blackburn noted that the Newtown location of Iron Hill was “certainly not the problem” in the brewery’s larger-scale bankruptcy. “It’s not a reflection on that location or this area,” he said. “PJW is all too pleased to take over that demographic.”
The next step for PJW will be to secure conditional use approval from the board of supervisors.
Chojnowski told the planners the restaurant and pub could be ready to open sometime in May, following four to five weeks of light renovation work.
PJW Restaurant Group operates 25 P.J. Whelihan’s Pub and Restaurant locations, including one in Doylestown at the Cross Keys Place Shopping Center. The casual pub and eatery is known for its pub fare, including its wings with more than 10 signature sauces, famous fries, burgers, and handhelds, soups and chili, salads, dips and nachos, and more.