By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent
On a Friday evening, Hingham Beer Works is packed. Conversations come from the bar as people gather around the giant metal brewing barrels that sit in the center of the room, amid family diners and young couples in the other half of the room.
It’s remarkable for an establishment that’s only been in business in the Hingham Shipyard for a year, and for those in charge at the Boston-based company, that success is only the beginning.
“We’re looking forward to certainly building the business,” said Joe Ferrari, director of restaurant operations and guest services for Beer Works. “I feel like we had a successful first year, but feel like we could do a lot better.”
Although the future of the business is unknown, the foundation for success is there — the picturesque waterfront is visible from giant windows and a patio deck next to the restaurant. The nearby commuter train, commuter boat, and even large boating community has brought business to the area day after day.
The movie theater and neighboring establishments has also meant a steady stream of customers, and Beer Works’ well-known name has people coming to the South Shore restaurant in droves.
“We’re thrilled to death in today’s economy that we were able to open the restaurant,” said Joel Pinkwas, Beer Works’ corporate chef. “It's gone very successful for us, has exceeded our sales projections… and we’re proud we were able to create 75 jobs in this economy.”
Now that the establishment has worked out the kinks of a first year, executives are looking to boost sales even more — bringing more families out for dinner, offering more beer varieties on the menu, and streamlining the business to run things more smoothly.
“When you open any restaurant, you look for what you can improve. I think we know the business now, and can execute things a bit better,” Ferarri said.
Hingham is the fifth for the home-grown company's beer-centered market. It opened for business in the Shipyard in the winter of last year, two years after another Beer Works opened in Lowell.
Besides that, the chain has their Fenway Boston Beer Works that opened in 1992, a Salem restaurant that opened in 96’, and one on Canal Street in Boston that opened in 2001.
As company officials see it, being able to open new restaurants in a recession will only bode well as the economy starts to pick up.
“We’ve opened two to three restaurants despite [the recession]. We’re optimistic,” Ferrari said. “If we can make it in these times, when things turn around we’ll be in a position to be doing very well,”
Still, the company wants to keep things local.