PORT ANGELES — Barhop Brewing and Artisan Pizza will expand into the former Dairy Queen building on Railroad Avenue in Port Angeles with a new restaurant and bar.
Owner Tom Curry said he hopes to open The Rail after major renovations this summer.
“It needs a lot of help,” Curry said of the recently-vacated building he leases at 128 E. Railroad Ave.
The Rail will use the Dairy Queen walk-up window to serve breakfast sandwiches, burritos and coffee to MV Coho ferry passengers and others in the mornings.
Grass-fed beef burgers and craft Barhop beer will be served to seated patrons in the afternoons and evenings.
“We’ll do a pub fare menu,” Curry said in an April 25 interview. “It will have a full bar.”
The existing Barhop Brewing and Artisan Pizza at 124 W. Railroad Ave. will remain.
The popular waterfront bar and pizza restaurant that opened in 2012 will continue to be the “flagship” of the business, Curry said.
“We have just slowly and steadily grown the Barhop footprint,” Curry said when reached by cell phone in Los Angeles.
Barhop also has a production brewery near William R. Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles. New production equipment soon will expand the capacity, Curry said.
Curry, a former health care business manager, said he plans to begin canning Barhop beer later this year.
Popular varieties include Citrasonic IPA, Ediz Hook IPA, Judge Porter and Heart Of the Hills Pils.
Dairy Queen closed March 26 after 18 years in Port Angeles.
Longtime franchise owner Kelly Sandhu said she closed the ice cream and fast food eatery because of a dispute with her landlord.
Before closing, Sandhu said she would endeavor to find a new location for the Port Angeles Dairy Queen.
Curry is leasing the 2,032-square-foot Dairy Queen building from a limited liability company. He said the location presents a “great opportunity” for Barhop.
The property was recently sold to PA Group 4 LLC for $300,000, according to Clallam County Assessor’s Office records.
The interior of the building will be completely remodeled and renovated before The Rail opens in the mid- to late-summer, Curry said.
“It was grossly neglected,” he said.
Curry said he envisions The Rail being being open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The Rail name is a nod to the historic railroad that once existed on Railroad Avenue and a bar rail, Curry said.
Barhop opened as a small taproom on Laurel Street in downtown Port Angeles in 2011. It moved to its present location in December 2012.
Curry’s daughter and son-in-law, Natalie and Larry White, are the Barhop manager and head chef, respectively.
Josh Blue is the head brewer.
“My goal,” Curry said, “is to grow a business that contributes to the community.”
“I could see us opening other Barhops,” he added.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.