Yesterday, Sept. 1, commercial real estate firm Lee & Associates NYC announced that it will be representing the Chicago-based self-service and tasting room concept, Tapster, as it moves into a 3,600 square foot space at 110-16 South 16th Street near Love Park and Philadelphia’s City Hall – set to open early next year.
“Philadelphia is such an amazing city and we are proud to bring Tapster here for everyone to enjoy,” Roman Maliszewski, Tapster’s founder tells What Now Philadelphia. “We will have 57 taps including beer, wine, cider, cocktails, kombucha, seltzers, sodas, and cold brew coffee. The space will be light and airy with swings, a photo booth, and lots of nooks for groups to hang out.”
Meanwhile, in a statement, Executive Managing Director and Principal of Lee & Associates NYC, Mark Kapnick, said, “Tapster has taken off in the Midwest and I’m thrilled to help bring this experience to the East Coast. They’ll be in great company alongside the lively restaurants, bars, and boutiques around Rittenhouse Square, and will make a welcomed addition to the Philadelphia food and beverage scene.”
Tapster’s Philadelphia outpost is just the start of a much larger national expansion that will include Austin, Nashville, Hoboken, and Williamsburg. Those locations will join the company’s current portfolio of Chicago, Seattle, and Cleveland.
Founded in 2017 by friends Roman Maliszewski and Sean Slevin, Tapster stands as Chicago’s first self-serve bar and tasting room, inspired by the pair’s disillusionment with “waiting in dim-lit bars for wanna-be-cool-bartenders to pour a beer, wine, or cocktail, let alone sodas and coffees.”
Continuing on their official website, Tapster explains, “With the explosion of craft drinks on the American social scene, the need for tasting and sampling has become apparent and necessary. Why do some restaurant/bars offer 150 beers and 25 cocktails, forcing guests to drink an entire pint before knowing if he or she likes the drink first?
“Freedom of choice is the American way, and we at Tapster have embraced this basic human right.”
Kapnick represented Tapster as national master broker in the transaction, along with Jacob Cooper of MSC Company. The landlords, Panco CC Rittenhouse Row Exchange, LP, and Rittenhouse Row Investors, LP were represented by Colliers.
