As it turns out, one thing really does lead to another.
On Tuesday minor league baseball was cancelled until next year, and if readers are interested in knowing more about why (hint: it’s not strictly COVID), ESPN goes deep.
But the most important detail is that last season the Louisville Bats finished 16th in minor league attendance, translating into a per-game average of 6,934 bodies not flocking into Louisville Slugger Field for home contests in 2020.
In turn, this fact leads directly to many hundreds of Against the Grain Brewery & Smokehouse customers NOT passing through the pub’s turnstiles for food and drink on their way to and from the games, which makes the pub’s math daunting according to its current business model.
It is true that AtG’s production brewery provides a measure of cushion in terms of cash flow, and the company’s decision last year to repurpose the former Cumberland Brews on Bardstown Road into Public House by Against the Grain is looking ever more prescient. If nothing else, pressing “pause” on AtG’s flagship location reminds us yet again that while we’re yearning for normality, these still aren’t normal times.
Then again, AtG always has excelled by being different than the rest. If one thing leads to another, their next might well be better than the last. Here’s the rest of the story, straight from the brewers’ mouths.
To our friends, patrons, and colleagues,
It’s with much consideration and thought that we have decided it’s time again to hit pause on operations at our Smokehouse location at Slugger Field. Effective July 1st, our Smokehouse location will close until further notice. With all the challenges that we have endured in the last three months and the anticipated challenges with operating a business in downtown Louisville in the coming months, it’s in the best interest of our health as a company to take this action.
In the meantime, we will be focusing on business operations at the Highlands neighborhood restaurant location, Public House by Against the Grain, located at 1576 Bardstown Road, and at our Portland production facility producing fresh packaged beer for distribution around the state and nation.
During our closure, we will take time to give our downtown space to heal and reorient for normalized commerce. We will reflect on our operations, as well as reimagine and renew the space to reopen when the time is right. We aim to reopen a space that is more efficient, more impervious to unknown challenges, and shows our renewed commitment to our mission of celebrating one another and our core values of accountability to highest quality service, products, and experience.
You can keep up to date on what’s going on with us and our announcements by following us at www.atgbrewery.com, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @atgbrewery & @atgpublichouse.
-Sam, Jerry, Andrew, and Adam
