By Jill Nagy
Druthers Brewing Co., a mainstay business on Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs, will add a third link to its chain when it opens a new restaurant in Schenectady this summer.
The new venue will be in Mohawk Harbor, a multi-use development about 400 yards from the new Rivers Casino & Resort.
Druthers will be a tenant in a new building that is currently under construction through the Galesi Group development company. Munter Enterprises of Middle Grove is among the contractors.
When completed, it will have 210 apartments and eight commercial units, one of them being Druthers. According to Druthers CEO Chris Martell, the Schenectady restaurant will be 8,000 square feet, larger than the Saratoga Springs location but less than half the size of the Albany location.
It will include a beer garden on the Mohawk River.
This is the first time Druthers will occupy rented space. The company owns its other two locations. Martell said there are no plans to buy a building in Schenectady.
Like the other two locations, the Schenectady facility will be a brewery as well as a restaurant. While the three venues are similar, they are not identical, Martell said.
There might be slight differences in the tastes of the beers because of different water sources, he said. In addition, each restaurant has its own chef who, within general parameters that are uniform, determines the menu. There will always be appetizers, salads, snacks, pizza and “big plates,” Martell said, but details will vary.
Head chef Mike Spain is in the process of forming the team for the Schenectady kitchen, but no Schenectady chef has been designated yet. Martell expects to have 50-60 employees at the new location.
Martell has no immediate plans for further expansion.