The taps have stopped flowing and the grill has gone cold at O’Hara’s Ale House and Grill. The Port Washington restaurant was seized by the state over the nonpayment of taxes, according to a spokesman for the state Department of Taxation and Finance.
Owner Tom O’Hara confirmed the restaurant’s closing to Newsday, saying that increases in New York’s minimum wage hampered the restaurant and its profitability.
“In 2015 my labor costs went up by $45,000; in 2016, they went up another $55,000,” he said. “It’s tough to run a restaurant under these conditions.”
The restaurant has been a staple of the Port community since it opened in 2014. It participated in Port Washington’s Restaurant Week the past couple of years. The restaurant also took part in the annual SOUPer Bowl held each year in February; last year, O’Hara’s potato soup took home the top prize as both the judge’s panel and visitors voted it the best at the event.
Located on Port Washington Boulevard, the bar and grill served lunch and dinner. Efforts to reach the owner were unavailing.
Reach reporter Luke Torrance by email at ltorrance@archive.theisland360.com, by phone at 516-307-1045, ext. 214, or follow him on Twitter @LukeATorrance.