This downtown York restaurant closed its doors during the coronavirus pandemic
One of downtown York’s restaurants has closed during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Coal Yard Restaurant & Lounge, located behind York City Hall on Garner Street, closed May 16 for good, its owners said.
The current ownership had operated the restaurant and lounge downtown for more than 10 years.
Garnett Kalwleit, who co-owns the restaurant with her son, Justin, was at the restaurant Thursday. She said she was ready to retire and the business had been for sale.
Justin Kalweit said in a Facebook post that the decision to close, made by him and his mother during the Covid-19 pandemic, was as good a time as any as most employees had been off work because of restaurants being closed, or handling limited take-out service for weeks.
He posted the closure notice on the Coal Yard Facebook page:
“We’ve weathered ups and downs including the recent pandemic. And while the world slowly returns to ‘normal’, we’ve decided to take this opportunity to move on.
“The Coal Yard will close permanently on Saturday, May 16th.
“This decision has been on the horizon since we listed the restaurant for sale almost 3 years ago...We hoped to find a new owner to take the CY to the next level, but time has run out... The pandemic is a good opportunity to close, as most employees are already laid off and inventory is sold down.”
Justin Kalweit said Friday his family appreciates all the customers who were part of the Coal Yard for years. He said the restaurant, even before his family purchased it, had been part of York for four decades.
“I remember as a kid, it had a penny gumball machine,” Kalweit said. “The Coal Yard has been a part of the community for a long time.”
Kalweit said his hope is someone with a passion for the restaurant business will find an opportunity there.
York has sought for years to make downtown an eating and retail destination.
York Mayor Michael Fuesser told The Herald in late April he was concerned about the effects of state-mandated coronavirus state of emergency suspension rules on downtown’s vitality.
Restaurants in York County and South Carolina have struggled during the Covid-19 shutdown, as in-house dining was closed for weeks.
The property and restaurant are for sale through The Tuttle Company, according to the owners and their Website and Facebook page.
This story was originally published May 22, 2020 at 11:56 AM.
