A 40-year-old Bethlehem pub changed hands this week, as its owner prepares to retire.
The sale of Ripper’s Pub, at 77 W. Broad St., closed Tuesday for $1.075 million, now former owner Chuck Kovacs said.
Kovacs, who was 30 years old when he purchased Ripper’s in February 1986, said he retired with the sale.
“I’m older, can’t do the things that I used to be able to do,” he said. “I can’t pick up kegs anymore and walk them to the cooler. It’s just time. The business was great to me. I enjoyed it. I can’t tell you how enriching it has been to meet so many people, most of them wonderful people. My staff is a great group, we’re like family here. Most of my staff has been with me for 25 to 30 years, and we’re all still together, but … I want to emphasize that what made me successful is the staff that I’m surrounded by, and how well they’ve treated me and I’ve treated them over the years. So it’s been a fun ride.”
Kovacs said the new owner, who couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Thursday afternoon, told him there were no immediate changes planned for the pub or its staff.
Joseph “Ripper” Rich opened the pub in December 1983.