Belleville restaurant announces closing, citing challenges from COVID-19 pandemic
The Belleville restaurant operated by 4204 Main Street Brewing Company has closed, the company has announced on Facebook.
Monday’s Facebook post stated that the last day of operation of the restaurant at 4202 West Main Street was Sunday, Sept. 26.
“Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve been trying to keep our head above water,” stated the post. “But unfortunately, we can’t continue any longer. The choice to close was extremely difficult to make. We put everything we had into keeping the restaurant afloat. We struggled with the decision, but we believe it’s the correct choice to make.”
The statement went on to say that efforts will be redirected to the distribution and banquet hall, which requires “significantly less staff to operate.”
In July, the Belleville News-Democrat reported 4204’s announcement to stop distribution and sell the brewery and canning facility located at 6435 W. Main St., Belleville. Brewing operations were to resume in August on a smaller scale with original equipment inside the restaurant.
However, difficulties with restaurant staffing resulted in the new plan.
“After months of trying to staff the restaurant, we are reversing that decision,” the Facebook post states. “We will be reopening the distribution brewery. The banquet hall will remain open.”
Company CEO Todd Kennedy was not immediately available for comment.
Prior to closing, staffing at the restaurant had been an ongoing issue. The opening of the beer garden was delayed in April because it was unable to staff the area.
Occasional posts on the 4204 Facebook page in the spring and summer notified followers of shortened hours and occasional days closed due to lack of staff availability. More recently the restaurant was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and closed at 4 p.m. on Sundays.
4204 Main Street Brewing Company first opened in May 2014 and was Belleville’s first brewery since Stag closed its doors in 1988. The brewery and banquet center opened in 2017.
