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West End’s Porters Bar and Grill closes after 24 years
Restaurants
The owner said he closed the business because running a restaurant-bar post-COVID had become an “even bigger headache.”
Porters Bar and Grill in West End is closing after 24 years in business. Bar and Grill Courtesy of Porters
After 24 years in business, which included a dozen championships, daily regulars and pandemic-related closures, Porters Bar and Grill closed permanently in late June.
Its owner since day one, Scott “Scooter” Nogueira, said the decision to close wasn’t an easy one. But the end of an extended five-year lease, followed by a pandemic that shuttered the bar and rising food and labor costs during that lease period, reinforced the fact that it was time to make a final call.
“I wouldn’t say I left the company because business was bad after the pandemic. Business was different after the pandemic,” Nogueira said. “It really reinforced to me that this was probably a bigger headache than I wanted to deal with at age 60. So I put the company up for sale.”
In the past few weeks after the Porters’ final day of duty, Nogueira has spent more time focusing on the good days. Located near TD Garden in the West End, it was a popular spot for Boston sports fans to grab a New England craft beer and snack on Celtics or Bruins game days.
When the teams were in season it was very busy, as were other West End shops which were full of customers wearing jerseys. And when the teams were winning, business was good.
Porters was fortunate to see one last championship victory from Boston this year, and a parade the week of its closing.
“I barely had time to invite friends, family, regulars and former employees because we were busy working at full capacity,” Nogueira said. “It was a whirlwind ending.”
He shared memories of other championships — 13 in total that Porters staff has won — such as when the Patriots won their first Super Bowl in the 2001 season. After the victory, Nogueira walked into Porters to find the music blaring, guests dancing on the furniture and beer bottles filling nearly every square inch of the bar and tables.
Nogueira said owning the bar also helped him develop relationships. Not only did he have loyal customers (he now wonders when and where they’ll find their next beer bar), but he also had staff who stayed for years, some as long as 14.
He’s seen brides and grooms meet at Porters, guests celebrate weddings and baptisms there, and when nearby restaurants and bars have closed over the years, Nogueira has tried to employ whoever he can at Porters.
There were also the harsh realities of running a restaurant, like rising burger prices due to inflation, losing lunch customers, post-COVID staffing issues, and maintenance issues like flooding and even bathroom fires.
“Porters was an interesting and special place,” Nogueira said. “The fact that people worked for me for so long was an indication of the kind of place it was. One regular had worked there for 24 years. I’ll miss the people. I won’t miss the burning toilets.”
He tried to sell the place for over a year, hoping to find someone willing to keep it as Porters and a place to live for the neighborhood, but unfortunately, deals fell through. It’s unclear what’s next for the space.
Tell us: Do you have a special memory of Porters Bar and Grill? What were your favorite dishes or drinks? Tell us what you will miss about the restaurant. Share your experience with us in the survey below or send us an email at (protected email)and your answer could appear in a future Boston.com article.
What will you miss about Porters Bar and Grill in the West End?
