Local Taphouse Forced to Close by Landlord, Community Wants Answers

Another business is being forced to close by its landlord.Photo byTim MossholderonUnsplash

Locally owned restaurants already face an uphill battle. From generating buzz to drawing in customers, keeping them coming in, dealing with the ever-fluctuating cost of supplies, and surging energy costs, not to mention all kinds of unforeseen issues, it’s a difficult business to be part of. Murphy's Law suggests anything that can happen will happen, so it’s best to be prepared. Restaurants can prepare for just about anything. Landlords pulling the rug out from under them is almost impossible to plan for. And yet, that’s been happening more and more lately around greater Phoenix, with another restaurant and taphouse affected by landlords forcing them out. 

Over the weekend, The Wayward Taphouse at 1028 Grand Avenue in Phoenix announced on its Instagram page that its landlords decided to go in a “different direction” and, because of that, the establishment was unable to renew its lease. 

Unfortunately, this is not the first time something has happened along Grand Avenue. Several other businesses have been forced out by landlords along the stretch, as rent is hiked and new mix-use buildings are installed. 

The Instagram post hit a cord with the local community, and in just two days it had over 1,200 likes and nearly 250 comments. As someone who writes about restaurants around the state, I have never seen a single social media post receive so much immediate attention before as The Wayward Taphouse making this announcement. Several commenters openly wondered what was the deal with landlords in the area, and even tossed out the idea of trying to group together to purchase the property as the taphouse means that much to the local community. 

There is no specific date yet planned for the official closing, although it is expected to be sometime in September (when the lease ends). It does mean a few months are remaining to try and visit the taphouse, talk with other locals about the business, and possibly find a way to help move it to another location. 

In the Instagram post, there was some hope that another option would come along. But as the landlord’s news was still fresh Wayward Taphouse couldn’t yet look elsewhere. 

If you want to stop by, the taphouse is open Tuesday through Thursday from noon until midnight and on Sunday from noon until 10 PM. It is closed on Monday. Happy hour specials are available Tuesday through Friday from opening until 5 PM.