What’s next for the closed Iron Hill Brewery in Media, Huntingdon Valley, and more

The Iron Hill Breweries in Huntingdon Valley, Hershey, and Lancaster will be back in business next month, marking the last leg of the new ownership group’s revival tour.

Some other ex-Iron Hills are being taken over by new restaurants.

Meanwhile, a handful of former brewpubs in prime suburban locations sit vacant, seven months after Iron Hill filed for liquidation bankruptcy.

The properties in Chestnut Hill, Exton, North Wales, and Media were being marketed for lease as of Tuesday. So was Phoenixville’s Iron Hill, which closed its doors on the borough’s main drag in October 2024.

In South Jersey, the restaurants in Maple Shade and Voorhees also remain empty, with property owners and local officials saying they had no updates on the spaces.

Leasing such large properties comes with unique challenges, and it can easily take six months to secure a new long-term tenant, said Tim Henry, the listing agent for the 9,300-square-foot former Iron Hill in Media.

With brewery-sized footprints, brokers must find someone who can afford the rent. The Media restaurant is listed for nearly $29,000 a month, or $37-per-square-foot annually.

“With that kind of rent, it’s not going to be a mom-and-pop, its going to be a seasoned operator,” said Henry, of Waterford Realty. “I would like to bring in a big name.”

But many popular chain restaurants already have locations in neighboring suburbs, he said, and their owners tend to gravitate toward shopping centers with large parking lots. As a walkable downtown, Media has street parking and a few public lots.

In a similar suburb, West Chester, the Iron Hill property owner bought all the brewery’s assets before leasing the space to Magerk’s Pub & Grill. But at the Media location, the equipment was auctioned off in the bankruptcy process, Henry said.

Given that, and the fact that Iron Hill had been there for 24 years, the Media space would require “pretty extensive renovation,” he said.

Still, Henry said he’s optimistic that he’ll soon secure a tenant that “people in Media are really going to be excited about.”

» READ MORE: Former Iron Hill Brewery in West Chester to become a Magerk’s Pub & Grill

He has received a lot of interest in the property, including from Philly restaurateurs looking to move into the suburbs, he said.

“It’s challenging,” Henry said, “but I know it’s a prime location. It’s going to go, and its going to be something good.”

Not all other vacant Iron Hills have the same challenges as Media. The Exton, Maple Shade, North Wales, and Voorhees locations, for example, have parking lots.

But some of those sites have their own unique qualities.

The former Exton taphouse and production facility, which property owners are marketing, is a massive 19,500 square feet.

Meanwhile, the Voorhees restaurant is in a town center that is owned by Namdar Realty Group, a company known to scoop up distressed malls. Namdar has not returned several requests for comment in recent months.

Local officials in Voorhees are in the dark, too, saying Friday that they had yet to hear anything from Namdar about what’s next for the empty Iron Hill.

Iron Hill’s Hershey location will be back in business June 1, with the Huntingdon Valley and Lancaster brewpubs to follow by June 30, spokesperson Paul Furiga said.

The announcement comes a month after the Center City Iron Hill was resurrected and a week after the Wilmington riverfront location reopened on Mother’s Day.

It also marks the comeback of a regional brand that was in dire straits a few months ago.

After accumulating $20 million in debt, Iron Hill’s former owners abruptly closed all locations in September and filed for bankruptcy. The shutdown left Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware with more than a dozen vacant brewpubs.

Then in January, a new ownership group acquired Iron Hill’s trademark and intellectual property in conjunction with the transfer of five restaurant leases. It would later be revealed that the group includes original cofounder Mark Edelson and other former executives of the brewery, which was founded in Delaware in 1996.

The new team has said it hopes to reestablish trust with Iron Hill regulars. They rolled out a new loyalty program and announced special offers, such as a free beer and free appetizer for patrons with pre-bankruptcy gift cards that are no longer usable.

» READ MORE: Iron Hill Brewery’s new owners want to bring regulars back with free beer and other perks

At the reopening of the Hershey restaurant, in the shadow of Hersheypark, bartenders will be pouring an exclusive new East Coast IPA called Kiss of Hops, according to restaurant executives.

“We’re focused on building a positive, people-first culture,” returning general manager Matt Roegner said in a statement, “and creating a place on West Chocolate Avenue where the community can come together to celebrate with great food, great beer, and genuine hospitality.”

Here’s what we know about these local Iron Hill Breweries as of publication time on May 19:

Philadelphia

Pennsylvania suburbs

Central Pennsylvania

New Jersey

Delaware