BusinessTuesday, November 3
A West Chester regular is reviving Iron Hill, but the West Chester brewpub stays closed
The West Chester Morning News team
If you miss Iron Hill, there's good news and a catch. Downingtown's Teja Chekuri, a regular at the West Chester restaurant, is leading an $8 million revival of the brewpub chain, and all five restaurants he took over have reopened. The catch: West Chester and Exton weren't among them and remain closed.
Chekuri bought the brand and five leases to restart Iron Hill
- $8 million
- in Chekuri's effort to revive the chain
- $3 million
- for the intellectual property and five leases
- More than 500
- employees across the five reopened restaurants
- 30%
- of those employees worked for Iron Hill before
Sources: PHILADELPHIA.Today, MyChesCo
The new team is focused less on growth and more on the basics: the award-winning beers, the most popular menu items, better service and stable finances. Chekuri hopes to expand eventually, but he's not in a hurry. “Let’s not do something for the sake of doing it,” he said. No plans or timetable for reopening either Chester County location have been announced.
- Founded in Newark, Del., in 1996; more than 20 locations in five states
- Closed in September 2025 and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy
- Liabilities: more than $20 million
- Leadership team: former Iron Hill staffers, with co-founder Mark Edelson advising
Five Iron Hill restaurants have reopened; West Chester and Exton have not
| Location | Status |
|---|---|
| Philadelphia | Reopened |
| Wilmington | Reopened |
| Huntingdon Valley | Reopened |
| Hershey | Reopened |
| Lancaster | Reopened |
| West Chester | Still closed |
| Exton | Still closed |
Sources: PHILADELPHIA.Today, MyChesCo
Sources: PHILADELPHIA.Today, MyChesCo