Cheers has been a popular Boston bar for years, but even a beloved institution with tourist appeal isn't immune to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Cheers location at Faneuil Hall Marketplace will be closing at the end of August, according to an announcement made Tuesday by owner Tom Kershaw.
“It is with a heavy heart that I have to announce the permanent closure of Cheers Replica Bar at Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Our last day in Faneuil Hall Marketplace will be August 30, 2020,” Kershaw said in a statement.
While Kershaw shared that the replica bar had spent a “wonderful 20 years in the iconic Faneuil Hall Marketplace,” he said the closure was an unavoidable end for the business.
“I have faced, and pulled through, many kinds of downturns and upticks in the economy within the last 20 years..." he said. "Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with no assistance from our landlord (Ashkenazy Acquisition Group), has made this current challenge insurmountable."
"Cheers" fans will still have at least one place to go to catch up with friends as the original Cheers bar, which is located on Beacon Street, will remain open.
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While the show "Cheers" was filmed in front of a live studio audience in Hollywood (as a voiceover told viewers at the start of each episode), the exterior location shots of the bar were of the Bull & Finch Pub, the name of the original Cheers bar Kershaw opened in 1969. The interior shots of the bar often seen on the show did not mirror the interior of the actual bar in Boston, but it still became a popular tourist attraction as the show took off.
Cheers Faneuil Hall, the brand's second location, opened in 2001. Unlike the original Beacon Street bar, the Faneuil Hall location features a bar that is a replica of the one that appeared on the set of the TV show. The bar also has a café, patio and lower bar area.
