3 Floyds permanently closing Munster brewpub

Going to be closed for 1-2 years, per an interview with Nick Floyd. Here’s more info from Nick Floyd in an interview about that:
https://twitter.com/hopnotes/status/1262937781355057152?s=21

 

Honestly I don't think anything has changed. The line has been "when it's safe" the entire time.

 

What @eppie82 said. https://www.chicagotribune.com/coro...0200520-wbxlr54bijg7zhxh3i6wr32gsm-story.html

 

That's literally the same info from last night, just reposted. Nothing has changed. The brewpub will reopen when it's safe for employees and patrons alike.

 

And that is how the brewpub ends, not with a burn down, but with a closure.

 

It has always been burned down in my heart.

 

As far as I am concerned, the entire 3 Floyds campus was in need of public transportation.
With the quality (and strength) of the beers served there, no one should be considering motoring back from there. Asking someone else to abstain from consuming (to be a designated driver) is just wrong. Relying on Lyft|Uber when either or both are on tenuous financial grounds (they could shut down next Monday - with no notice) is a serious consideration.

The 3 Floyds operation in Munster must (have) contribute(d) a sufficient amount of tax dollars to the area. Governmental agencies in Indiana seem to be resistant to funding public transportation {You may not want to delve into the history of how close it came to losing the entire South Shore Line.}, but if the definition of what gets funding is how much of a traffic generator it is, what else has Hammond and Munster got (besides casinos, which are a blatant money grab)? Especially on Friday, Saturday, & Sunday?
The final South Shore Line train back to Chicago on Saturday and Sunday leaves Hammond at 23:01 (arriving at Van Buren St. @ 23:41 and Randolph (Millennium) terminus @ 23:43). I will accept that as the latest connection. A timed bus route running between the Hammond South Shore Line train station (4531 Hohman Ave.) and the 3 Floyds Brewpub (9750 Indiana Pkwy, Munster.) during the hours of 11:33 and 22:40 would be OK. {N.B.: The last westbound train on Friday is at 20:58, which is not good. But there's probably little chance the South Shore Line can run a later train, without additional public funding. Read above.}
Nick F., you know me. I've run into you at venues I did not expect to (an evening at Laschet's Pub in May 2007 still resounds). You need to have a method for people to get to|from the campus that does not involve ridesharing services or designated drivers. Use this pandemic suspension as an advantage to accomplishing this.

 

Last week Donald Trump got a little nervous he was going to lose Indiana in November so pledged $100 million in federal funding to the South Shore Line expansion that would hit Munster and Dyer hoping to convert some of the Lake County voters from blue to red.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/subu...0200529-qcmkp2vfsjbnnkkyizgrlh4dwy-story.html

As for what does Munster have? They have great schools and great proximity to the city like IL Chicago suburbs, but without the need to declare bankruptcy in the near future because the state knows how to do basic addition and not run a deficit.

 

This move looks dumber by the week.

 

They should be release a press release soon talking about the new plan for converting the brewpub. In 2021 it will re-open as the first in the nation craft beer enema salon...

 

I imagine this pandemic highlighted some of the flaws in their operations. Brewpub may have been struggling to begin with and the pandemic just put the final nail the coffin to make the decision and close the doors. Hopefully they use this 1-2 years/indefinite time that the brewpub will be closed to get financials in order and build a sustainable model for operations.

This is all just my speculation, by the way. I have no inside knowledge beyond the news articles released and the comments posted on here.

 

What do you consider their flaws? Honestly don't know as I've only been once.

 

It has been speculated that the brewpub was a money losing operation...so the flaws would be operational efficiency rather than subjective preferences.

 

Operational cost related. Not so much quality or beer specific. If your margins from brewpub are razor thin in the first place due to high/rising costs as some have alluded to, it wouldn't have taken much to send their financials over the cliff.

 

Interesting. Don't know how you can get much cheaper than an anonymous office park in NWI serving your own beer.

 

Usually brewpubs make bigger margins than production. They usually upcharge draft and with a place as busy as FFF, I wonder why they wouldn't be in the black on site. Was it food? Which even that can be priced properly. Draft waste? Or are they getting taxed on that part of the brewery more than the production part?

 

Several years ago there was a proposal to put in a commuter train that would stop in Munster at Calumet & 45th at the old Munster Steel site using the existing tracks there, and it would also have a stop in South Holland, IL before heading downtown.

Nothing much ever came of it though.

 

The South Shore project is moving and will run pretty much right behind the brewery. There won't be a station within a few miles, because that would make too much sense. Maybe they'll rethink as that hospital keeps expanding
http://www.nictdwestlake.com/

Nearest stations would be Ridge Road and Munster/Dyer Main Street.

 

Haven’t been since Feb, but I recall the food prices as follows:

Apps: $8-12
Burgers/Sandwiches: $14ish
Entrees: $16-18
Pizza: $20ish

So their pricing seems to be in line with Chicagoland prices. I thought the rule of thumb for restaurants was food should cost 20% of price. They used quality ingredients, so maybe they were above the 20%, not sure.

The typical trip for the wife and I was usually cost $65-75 before tip (An app, two of the sandwich/burgers/entrees/pizza, and 3-4 beers between us)