Brewmasters on Ash Street opens for business
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on March 17, 2017 1:07 PM
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Richard Gower, co-owner of Brewmasters, pours a beer from one of the 24 featured taps at his bar and restaurant.
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News-Argus/SETH COMBS
Richard Gower, left and Morkos Youssef stand near their racks of red and white wines. The two are the owners of Brewmasters, a new restaurant, bar and bottle shop located at 2402 E. Ash St.
Richard Gower wants Brewmasters to become the place where everybody knows your name.
The new craft beer restaurant and bottle shop, at 2402 E. Ash St., is now open and fully stocked with nearly 700 different types of craft beer, 22 beer taps and a menu that features appetizers, salads and sandwiches made with Boar's Head meats and cheeses.
"We're going to try and mainly emphasize the quality of the food and the beer," said Morkos Youssef, co-owner and Elm City native. "Those two things will be first and foremost and just being a really, really good partner with the community."
Gower, also the co-franchise owner of Zaxby's on North Berkeley Boulevard, joined Youssef in opening Brewmasters' second location in Goldsboro, with Justin Loughridge and Jimmy McGuire as operational partners.
Brewmasters became a common name after the popular startup craft beer restaurant first opened in Wilson in 2013. Within two years, it expanded to a larger building and expanded its menu and craft beer selection.
Youssef has wanted to expand further and set his sights on Goldsboro where the business is now housed inside an original McDonald's property, near Stoney Creek Park.
"It just seemed like Goldsboro was something that I could wrap my mind around," Youssef said. "There was some talk about going to Greenville. Greenville seemed like too big of a city to do this in. We like doing the community-oriented things, and I feel like in a small town, it's a lot easier to do that."
Brewmasters is focused on community service and plans to expand its adopt-a-teacher program locally. Each year, teachers are asked to submit a classroom wish list. Customers and employees donate items to make the wishes a reality.
The restaurant also distances itself from being a traditional bar, by offering entertainment, games and other activities and promoting a family-friendly atmosphere.
"We've built the kind of place that I would want to go," Gower said. "I want them to love our food, and I want them to love our beer. I just want to be a place where we're well thought of for the work we do in our community, the way we serve our community."
The restaurant includes a seating area for nearly 50 people, a bar with a 12-seat capacity and a patio that will soon add another 30 to 40 seats around the back of the building.
"We found this, and this had a great opportunity to have an outdoor patio and a real space that is unique to Goldsboro," Gower said.
Live entertainment is planned once or twice a month, featuring local and regional talent, and other events planned include trivia, cornhole and wine and design events. The business may also add onsite yoga classes.
"We cater to a mature, responsible crowd of people," Gower said. "We're professional people, and we have young children as well, and we want to promote an environment that's friendly and responsible.
"Our mission statement is just to have fun watching our community come together."
The weekend grand opening celebration started on St. Patrick's Day with evening entertainment by Steven Stewart and continued Saturday with Tyler Davis, of Goldsboro, in the afternoon and Matty Begs Acoustic Duo in the evening.
Brewmasters is open Monday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
The restaurant serves a variety of sandwiches, flatbread pizzas, wraps, appetizers, salads and selections for children. Kitchen hours end at 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday but remain open until Sunday's 5 p.m. closing.
Craft beer and wine can be bought onsite or taken home, with shelves stocked with hundreds of different types beer, including a wide selection of sours, India pale ale and imported crafts. A cooler also offers another 160 different beer and wine selections.
"We have a huge selection of sours, IPAs, which are really hot right now," Youssef said. "We have a good selection of German, Belgian beer, all the way down.
"Everything we do is mix-and-match in a six pack. We really have something for everybody."
Brewmasters also offers carry-out service, food and beer catering, beer keg sales and the rental of its six-tap beer trailer.
Brewmasters is still hiring kitchen and bar employees and interested applicants can stop by the restaurant, call (919) 288-2014 or email info@brewmastersnc.com.