SPOKANE, Wash. – The Prohibition Gastropub, a staple along Monroe Street in Spokane, is only going to be around for a couple more weeks.
The Gastropub’s owner Michael Wiley said he is closing the restaurant at the end of August, citing a lack of parking around the restaurant as a main reason for its closure.
Wiley said this decision was an emotional one, but what he believes is the right thing to do for his employees.
“It is driven around connection with our fellow human beings, and so losing this is going to be losing a very big channel that I have in my life to connect to other people,” Wiley said.
Despite taking over the restaurant during the pandemic, Wiley said that is not the biggest challenge the restaurant faced or a reason for its closing.
Wiley said the decision comes because a new apartment complex in the area has made it difficult to find parking nearby. Another complex is scheduled to be built which would make accessibility even harder for customers.
“Everyone is now fighting for the same amount of spaces on the street that they used to have,” Wiley said. “We saw an immediate drop in business and that hasn’t ever really gone away.”
Gastropub employees said they will miss being engrained in the community. General manager Lindsey Weaver went to high school nearby and said it’s been special to serve the community she grew up in.
“We have the Meet on Monroe, we have the Kendall Yards Farmer’s Market. There is definitely a sense of community and it’s just been amazing to have a firsthand view of that,” Weaver said.
Wiley said he is working to find jobs for his employees at other restaurants he owns, including Wiley’s Downtown Bistro.
The Gastropub’s last day will be August 31.
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