MEDINA, Ohio — What once was a sopping mess turned into a sea of green beer at Sully's Irish Pub on St. Patrick's Day. The popular pub closed temporarily in February after frozen pipes burst, causing flooding in the restaurant.
General manager Ali Burmeister said it cost about $50,000 to replace the damage, including remodeling the custom bar.
They closed for 15 days and were able to cut losses thanks to community support.
“A community saying hey, let’s go have dinner at Sully’s. Let’s go support them when they reopen. That’s where we really made our come back," Burmeister said
The hope was to reopen by St. Patrick's Day -- their biggest day of the year.
If you want to sit in a booth, folks have to pay a few gold coins.
All the money is donated to the Trinity Rose Foundation, a local charity benefiting blind children.
“Just doing three hour time slot of guaranteed space to sit for St. Patrick’s Day," Burmeister said.
Jon Holthaus is a regular customer and paid $120 for three hours in a booth.
“It’s my birthday for God's sake, I feel like a rockstar," Holthaus said. “But coming here makes it that much better. I go to big cities every year, but I don’t anymore because I want to be right here.”
The pub brought in just over $4,000, making this year's pot of gold pretty special.
Those cheering, dancing and singing said the Irish pub is a staple in the community, and it wouldn't be St. Patrick's Day without it.
“Sully’s is Medina," said Shari Martz, who chipped in to sit at a booth. “You can live here and have lived here all your life, or you could’ve just moved here yesterday, and when you come here or you feel like family.”
