A downtown Bethlehem sports bar, restaurant and entertainment venue is now up for sale.
515 Main, which opened in August 2023 in the space previously occupied by Corked 2.0, is being listed for $799,000, according to the listing by Morganelli Properties. It sits at 55 Main St. in the city.
Corked 2.0 closed in July 2023 after opening in 2013 as Corked Wine Bar & Steak House. It became known as Corked 2.0 under new ownership during the COVID pandemic in 2020.
A group of Lehigh Valley businessmen, including majority partner Chris Tiscio of Allentown, oversaw those operations. The group, including Tiscio and partners Thomas Ackermann and Anthony Deleon, both of Allentown, then took over the reins at 515 Main.
Now, Tiscio, a city native, wants to retire from the culinary industry after overseeing restaurants for more than two decades. He also wants to spend more time with family, he told lehighvalleylive.com on Friday.
515 Main will continue operating normally during the sale. The new owner can keep it the same or embark on a totally new concept, Tiscio said.
“It’s a turn-key opportunity,” Tiscio said of the sale.
The sale includes 12,000 square feet of dining, bar, commercial kitchen, office and storage space. The expansive kitchen comes well-equipped with the “infrastructure and flexibility to accommodate a variety of concepts and high-volume operations,” the listing states.
The three-story building features two bars with a wide selection of beer taps; seating for 324; several flatscreen televisions with smart controls; a high-end audio system; computerized lighting; and an extensive security camera system, with monitoring.
The building also offers outdoor seating, as well as a lower level for substantial storage, finished office space, two employee restrooms and more space with the potential for alternative uses.
When the business partners launched 515 Main, the goal was to leave behind the upscale dining atmosphere Corked was known for and transition into a more family-friendly vibe.
Renovation work to bring the vision to life included removing a partition wall in the center of the main dining space in favor of an open-dining concept. New furniture and lighting were added, as well as fresh coats of interior and exterior paint, and photo op walls with neon signage.
The buyer also will receive the Pennsylvania “R” liquor license. What’s not included, however, is the actual real estate.
Tiscio and his partners believe the buyer will have plenty of creativity to work with given the site sits in one of the Lehigh Valley’s most active dining and entertainment districts.
The downtown area is filled with strong pedestrian activity and is a hot spot for festival-goers and holiday shoppers alike. It’s been named at the top of the list of national Main Streets in various publications.
“A major draw for the buyer will be the chance to be in the downtown, and become a part of the restaurant family in Bethlehem,” Tiscio said. “They’ll become part of the No. 1 Main Street.”
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