RI Institution — Kip’s Restaurant — Forced to Close for New Chase Bank Branch

RI Institution — Kip’s Restaurant — Forced to Close for New Chase Bank Branch

There are few restaurants that are such an institution, that they have a city corner named after them.

Such is the case of Kip’s Restaurant in Pawtucket at the corner of Newport Avenue and Armistice Boulevard, which was officially recognized as “Kip’s Corner” in 2009, for “fifty years of community service and friendship.”

The restaurant was founded in 1959.

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Now, it is slated to be demolished, and current owner Hank Macomber told GoLocal he was informed by his landlord he needed to be out by February 1, 2022; he is closing Kip’s on January 19. 

Macomber said that last week, city officials came into the restaurant asking “where the drive-up window was slated to go.”

Except that Macomber had put in no such zoning request.

He soon found out the “window” is for the next business coming to the location in Pawtucket — a Chase Bank branch.

“This is terrible,” said Macomber. 

End of an Era 

“I was told I had to be out by February 1. We’re liquidating everything,” said Macomber — who along with his wife Heather, who grew up waitressing at Kip’s, have owned the business for nearly 25 years.

They purchased the business from the original owners Lefty Baziotis and Chris Kazanis, and according to Macomber, had planned on the restaurant's income for their retirement. 

Several years ago, the owner of a neighboring business — Arigna Irish Pub and Restaurant — went to purchase an adjacent parking lot from Baziotis and Kazanis, who Macomber said told him if he wanted it, he had to purchase the building that Kip’s was in as well.

Macomber said his lease expired a number of years ago, but that he and the landlord continued to work together.  He said he knew this past summer there was a new buyer for the property, but that was all he was told. 

“Before the pandemic, I’d say [Kip’s] was probably worth about a quarter of a million dollars,” said Macomber. “I’ll be lucky if I get close to $30,000 with liquidating everything.”

Macomber said that while the pandemic was difficult, they did what they could to get by. They went to a skeleton staff, and only did take-out. 

“The customers are sad, we’re sad, everyone’s sad,” said Macomber, who said the couple lives in a house nearby, and he’s not sure they’ll be able to keep that. 

This past November, Macomber's mother passed away. 

"We just want to thank all our customers over the years," said Macomber. 

A representative from Chase did not respond to request for comment on Friday.