Brendan O'Neill's Traditional Irish Pub and Restaurant will shut its doors following a closing party from 5 to 11 p.m. May 14. Owners say they plan to relocate the establishment in the Westlake area. (West Life photo by Larry Bennet)

Brendan O'Neill's to close Monday
By Kevin Kelley
Westlake
Web Published 4 PM May 10, 2007

Brendan O'Neill's Traditional Irish Pub and Restaurant will bid its regular customers farewell with a closing party Monday from 5 to 11 p.m.

Managing partner Mike Schaeffer told West Life that the establishment received a letter the first week in May from its landlord, Developers Diversified, that it would have to vacate its spot at West Bay Plaza on Detroit and Crocker roads.

As West Life reported April 18, a Japanese restaurant has submitted plans to the city building department to redevelop Brendan O’Neill’s location. Asuka Japanese Cuisine, which has operated a location just outside Youngstown since September 2004, submitted plans March 27 for a hibachi steakhouse restaurant.

The plan is to reopen Brendan O’Neill’s in a new location, Schaeffer said.

Business has been very good, he said.

“Really it’s out of our hands right now,” Schaeffer said. “There’s not a whole lot we can do except to find a new spot.”

Schaeffer said owners began looking for a new location after West Life reported the Japanese restaurant was moving in.

Brendan O’Neill’s currently has no timetable for reopening, Schaeffer said.

“It could be two months, it could be a year,” he said. “We don’t know.”

While Schaeffer said he hopes Brendan O’Neill’s customers come back when it reopens, he expressed concern that regular customers may find somewhere else to eat and drink the longer it takes to relocate.

In an e-mail sent to regular customers, the pub’s staff said to check the Web site (www.brendanoneills.com) for updates about a reopening in the Westlake area.

At Monday’s closing party, all beers will be $2.50, sandwiches and appetizers  $5, and entrees $10, according to the e-mail.

On the Net:

• A move for Brendan O'Neill's? (West Life, April 18, 2007)
• Brendan O'Neill's Traditional Irish Pub and Restaurant