A popular Port Orchard sports bar will reopen as a microbrewery and restaurant in Silverdale.
Facing a short eviction deadline from a bank-owned building in Bethel Centre, Tommy C’s will relaunch as Cash Brewing Company. Owner Tommy Cash, whose deadline to move is Feb. 28, finalized a lease Tuesday at 3388 NW Byron St., which used to house Old Town Bistro, a restaurant and nightclub that closed last summer.
Cash believes he could open there as soon as March.
Cash, who also looked at locations in Bremerton, Gig Harbor and Port Orchard, said moving out of the South Kitsap community, where his business opened in March 2011, was difficult.
“That’s the hardest part,” he said. “We’ve built a fantastic client base that loves and enjoys Tommy C’s. But I know a lot of them intend on following us out to Silverdale.”
Tommy C’s is among several business being evicted from by First Citizens Bank, which took ownership of the Piperberry Way building Dec. 9 when no buyer was found at the $1.58 million asking price.
Cash plans to keep Tommy C’s open as long as possible while the new location is being completed. He expects his 18 employees to remain after the move.
Cash believes it will cost $75,000 to renovate the former Old Town Bistro location. He started a GoFundMe.com account with a goal of raising $25,000 to help offset relocation expenses.
“The community has really, really stepped up in terms of helping us,” Cash said. “It’s just amazing.”
Before the foreclosure, Tommy C’s was set to transform into a microbrewery as Cash purchased brewing equipment and applied for licenses. He now plans to assemble a three-barrel brewing system in Silverdale. Brewer Bill Poss will oversee beer production once licenses are procured.
While beer options will diversify, Cash said the menu will remain similar. He said he seafood offerings will be expanded to fit in with the new location, which is near the waterfront.
The building also will feature a different flavor than the current location. Cash Brewing Company will be in a smaller space than Tommy C’s roomy second-floor location at Bethel Centre. Despite that, Cash said his new street-level space will have a banquet room upstairs. Outside of the new nautical theme, he said the biggest difference longtime customers might notice is the absence of pool tables because they do not fit in the Silverdale location.
Cash hopes that setting and service sets his venue apart from the franchise restaurants in the area.
“We’re family-oriented,” he said. “We know what you eat and drink. We’re going to use the same mantra up here.”
