Buoy Beer is planning to leave its space in the downtown Astoria Food Hub building at the end of the year, shuttering its restaurant.
The decade-old brewery announced the move on social media on Sept. 11. Layoffs will soon follow.
“Our lease is up at the end of the year, and we’ve decided not to renew it,” the company said.
Buoy said it will cut its hours at the Food Hub starting in October to three days a week (Friday through Sunday), but will simultaneously expand operation of its newly acquired patio/taproom on Duane Street to seven days a week.
That location, which has no kitchen, is served by four food trucks. Buoy’s own food, which ranges from burgers to salmon BLTs, will no longer be available, starting in January.
Buoy thanked its customers for supporting the Food Hub location on Marine Drive, which opened shortly after the original waterfront taproom and restaurant were closed due to a partial collapse of the historic structure in June 2022. The main brewery immediately south of the property wasn’t impacted.
“It’s been an amazing ride in this temporary home, and we’re so grateful for all the love and support you’ve shown us here,” Buoy said in its announcement. “Working with the fantastic folks at the Astoria Food Hub has been a joy, and we’re thankful to everyone who’s made this chapter so special.”
Buoy president and co-founder David Kroening told Astoria Beer Zone that the Food Hub brewpub was losing money and the hemorrhaging had to stop.
“It was challenging financially,” he said. “We weren’t profitable in the location.”
Kroening said about 30 employees currently work at the brewpub. They were told at an emotional meeting Sept. 11 that the vast majority would be laid off.
“The hardest piece of it is that we have people who have been with us a long time,” Kroening said. “Great people we really care about.”
Despite the brewpub’s struggles, the brewery itself is doing well. Kroening said beer sales and production continue to grow, and “quality” has never been better.
The Food Hub exit, however, is the second brewery-related blow to the downtown block in recent days.
Just a few doors down, at the corner of 12th Street, Astoria Brewing closed its taproom in a surprise move. The city’s oldest craft brewery, however, continues to operate normally.
It’s been a whirlwind of a summer for Buoy, with uncertainty still engulfing its waterfront property.
The brewery previously announced the July opening of a Youngs Bay beer garden in a former restaurant only to suddenly walk away due to reported construction issues.
Last month, Buoy made a surprise announcement that it was taking over the former Reach Break Brewing location on Duane Street, with plans to operate a taproom, plus a small-batch brewery and Pilot House distillery to come later.
Now Buoy is shedding the Food Hub, which will leave the brewery without a restaurant for the first time.
“Bummmmmerrrrr … some of the best food here in Astoria,” wrote one Instagram user reacting to the news.
“Please tell me you will have your clam chowder at the new taproom,” pleaded another.
Kroening refused to rule out getting back in the food business if the right opportunity presents itself.
“I’d be surprised if at some point we don’t have a restaurant again,” he said. “But I don’t know if that’s next year or 20 years from now.”
