Restaurant and brewpub combinations have been popular over the last 30 years, since BJ‘s Restaurant Brewhouse began brewing its craft beers in 1996.
The Huntington Beach, Calif.-based restaurant chain launched in Southern California as a deep-dish Chicago-style pizza restaurant in 1978.
BJ’s has won over 200 beer awards
Since 1996, the brewhouse and dining chain has grown to over 200 restaurants in 31 states. It also operates seven breweries, experimenting with 60 beers each year and winning 220 awards at competitions, according to its website.
BJ’s most recent quarterly report for the third quarter of 2025 showed an increase in revenue by 1.4% to $330.2 million with a comparable restaurant sales increase of 0.5%, according to an October 2025 statement.
Some restaurant and brewpubs, like BJ’s, have stabilized foot traffic, while others have struggled.
“Excluding the first two weeks of the quarter, we experienced strong and stable growth month to month,” BJ’s said in the statement. “In the trailing six weeks, we are tracking up approximately 3.5% in traffic and outperforming Black Box Intelligence casual dining benchmarks.”
The restaurant and brewhouse chain has managed to escape the beer apocalypse, which industry experts say began in 2023, as the Brewers Association posted historic amounts of craft brewery closures of over 385 for the year, Paste reported.
Other restaurants and breweries have filed for bankruptcy, and some have closed, to the dismay of consumers who enjoy visiting these establishments.
Breweries say they are facing fierce competition, higher labor and product costs, and consumers’ changing attitudes toward drinking alcoholic beverages, which is cutting into profits.
Brewery closures outpace openings
Over 250 breweries in the U.S. closed down in the first six months of 2025, and more closings followed in the second half of the year.
Brewery closures outpaced openings with 434 shutting down and 268 opening by mid-December 2025, Brewbound reported on social media.
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Pete’s Restaurant & Brewhouse files for bankruptcy
And now, popular brewpub owner JIB Foods Inc., which operates as Pete’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to reorganize its business.
The Sacramento, Calif.-based brewhouse and dining chain operator filed its petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of California on Feb. 4, listing $1 million to $10 million in assets and liabilities, RK Consultants reported.
The Chapter 11 filing applies to the corporate entity as a whole, Edhat reported.
Pete’s did not indicate a specific reason for filing for bankruptcy protection.
The chain had six locations in Northern California in Sacramento, Rocklin, Roseville, El Dorado Hills, Yuba City, and Redding, Calif.
Pete’s closed a franchise location in Roseville in October after operating for eight years. The company reportedly closed the El Dorado Hills location in early January, Sacramento Business Journal reported.
Pete’s plans to open another location
After closing its Roseville location in October 2025, Pete’s reportedly submitted a Commercial Plan Review application to the City of Sacramento that month for a new location in the North Natomas area of the city at 2281 Del Paso Road, according to What Now.
Pete’s Restaurant & Brewhouse was founded in 1987 as Original Pete’s in Midtown Sacramento as a pizza parlor, and later expanded its menu to include pastas, burgers, salads, and desserts, according to its website.
Pete’s partners with Firestone Walker brewery
The restaurant partnered with Central California brewer Firestone Walker in 2006 to create hand-crafted beers and became Pete’s Restaurant and Brewhouse.
Pete’s offers several beers on tap, including Pete’s Golden Stallion, Pete’s Half-Time, Pete’s Half-Time 2, Pete’s Red Hound, and Pete’s Night Rider.
More bankruptcies:
- 73-year-old family diner franchisee files Chapter 11 bankruptcy
- More troubled regional airlines file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
- Major department store brand liquidates in Chapter 11 bankruptcy
The restaurant also offers a selection of Pete’s label wines, including California Pinot Grigio, California Chardonnay, California Cabernet Sauvignon, and California White Zinfandel.
Pete’s dining menu includes various pizzas, rib-eye steak, Atlantic salmon, barbecued St. Louis ribs, fish & chips, pastas, burgers, sandwiches, salads, soups, appetizers, and desserts.
Pete’s Restaurant & Brewhouse beverages
- Pete’s Golden Stallion
- Pete’s Half-Time
- Pete’s Half-Time 2
- Pete’s Red Hound
- Pete’s Night Rider
- California Pinot Grigio
- California Chardonnay
- California Cabernet Sauvignon
- California White Zinfandel
Related: Another fried chicken dining chain files Chapter 11 bankruptcy
