Group of friends save local bar & grill in Salem

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - A group of friends in Salem have taken it upon themselves to revive the local brewery.

The Brewery in Salem has been a staple of the community for decades, so the place means a lot to locals like Rick and Kathy Rolling.

“I’m from a family of eight kids and this was our stomping grounds,” Kathy said.

A regular, Ben Greenlee, says he is glad to see the place back up and running, following its closure last summer.

“There are quite a few people who are regulars here and it’s where we go to socialize, and without that, the community really felt disjointed,” Greenlee said.

Tanya Rother and Jeremy Grady, along with four others, purchased the brewery earlier this year.

“It’s extremely important,” Grady said when asked what the brewery means to the community. “There’s one other bar on Main Street, and they do a nice job too, but there for a while when we didn’t know the status of this establishment, they were really busy, and it was pretty evident we needed another place in town.”

After giving it a face-lift, they officially reopened the bar on April 25.

“We opened up on a Monday on purpose to have a soft opening and it was anything but,” Grady said.

Tanya, who manages the bar, said she expected it to be busy, but nothing like it was.

The bar’s value to the community was never more evident than following last Thursday’s storms.

“People were able to come in, relax, talk with other people, tell stories,” Grady said.

The Brewery sustained its own damage to the roof, but quickly welcomed guests back in.

“By 3 o’clock Friday afternoon, we had cold beverages and food to serve,” Grady said.

Perhaps more popular than the cold drinks is the brewery’s famous pizza.

“The brewery pizza is back, it’s back! They have the original recipe again!” Kathy said, a fan of the bar’s food.

All this was on the verge of disappearing permanently but now has a bright future ahead.

“I hope that it just keeps going and that it stays here for another 100 years for my kids to come and reminisce and do family things,” Kathy said.

The Brewery will be holding a Grand Opening Saturday, May 21 in Salem. The event will feature a live DJ, giveaways, and drink specials.

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