In one of the fastest restaurant space turnarounds in memory, recently closed House of Brews already has reopened as Jersey D’s House of Brews.
If the name sounds familiar, it might be because owner Dennis Delaney has been operating his successful Jersey D’s Tavern & Grill in Chandler for six years.
“We’re basically doing a soft opening,” Delaney says of his new place on the southeast corner of Cooper and Warner roads in Gilbert. “All we’ve been able to do so far is put on a fresh coat of paint. We want to start cleaning it up.”
House of Brews closed Jan. 28. Delaney scooped up the space, which is just slightly larger than his Chandler establishment, almost immediately.
“A lot of these are terrible,” he says, pointing to several non-HD TVs hanging over the bar. “I might have to add eight to 10 new TVs, but I’ll do it.”
The truncated menu is only a half-sheet of paper right now, but Delaney plans to offer typical tavern fare like burgers, sandwiches, and entrees. He wants to set his prices “lighter” than average.
“Tonight, for example, we’re doing a prime rib dinner special for $12.99,” he says.
Also in the works: A video arcade, including PlayStation and Wii games, for children. Fridays and Saturdays will have live music.
Despite its name and large number of taps, the former House of Brews never became a destination for craft beer fans, catering mostly to a Bud and Coors crowd. Delaney is taking a wait-and-see approach to his 24 taps.
“I want to put up a sign over those taps saying, ‘Craft beer lovers, support your beer,'” he says. “I like beers that sell.”
Delaney says he expects it will take at least 60 days before everything is sorted out. “It took a long time to fix up my other place.”
