McFaddens Pub reopens in Williamsburg

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

WILLIAMSBURG - For the last three months, patrons of McFadden's Pub have been wondering if the owners were sincere when they said they would reopen in September. With today's grand reopening, they no longer need worry.

Tim Kastagir, 38, who co-owns the Main Street pub, said when he and fellow owner Jon McFadden sent out a newsletter in June announcing that they would close down for the summer to minimize financial losses, there were plenty of local skeptics.

"Some of the customers kind of entrusted in us when we said we were definitely coming back, but in this economy people are always going to be skeptical when you say something like that," Kastagir said. "They've heard the same thing from local businesses who have ended up closing in the past."

While he said the prospect of losing regular customers to other businesses during this summer's closure was something both owners worried about, Kastagir is confident that renovations to the building and identical food and drink specials will once again fill seats at the popular Route 9 bar and eatery.

"We paid off all of our bills with vendors and put any money we had left over right back into the bar itself," Kastagir said. "We have new commercial carpeting, our entire staff is coming back and we will offer the same specials and music on the weekends."

Although he said he's waiting to see how much business the pub generates this month before determining whether he and McFadden will repeat the seasonal closure next year, Kastagir said he thinks it was a good financial decision.

"My gut feeling is that we'll have a bump in business that we wouldn't have had otherwise and maybe a month of September that is busier than usual," Kastagir said. "We won't know until we reopen but my gut is telling me that closing was the right decision."

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com