OBSERVER Photo by Natasha Matteliano Buddy Brewster’s Ale House is set to open its doors on Monday.

Buddy Brewster’s Ale House is opening Monday in the Dunkirk and Fredonia area — replacing what was once Wing City Grille.

Andrew Carlson and his wife Amber own several area restaurants, including Village Casino in Bemus Point, Chop House on Main in Jamestown, an Arby’s in Pennsylvania and now Buddy Brewster’s in Fredonia. The Carlsons are both from Western New York, with Andrew growing up in Bemus Point and Amber in Jamestown. They both have business degrees and wanted to start businesses locally.

Before Buddy Brewster’s, the Carlsons owned Wing City Grille that was recently closed. The pair decided it was time for a rebranding.

“We took advantage of this time that everyone was home and not coming out to remodel,” Andrew said. “We’ve wanted to do a rebrand here — a remodel, and a refocus for a long time so this is a whole new restaurant. There’s nothing left of Wing City.”

The rebranding of the restaurant comes in the form of an ale house; not to be confused with a brewery, as they are not making their own beer, but instead partnering with local breweries.

“We decided on an ale house because we still really want to concentrate on food,” he said. “We’re not just a brew pub, we’re not brewing our own beer. We teamed up with all the local breweries to offer some great local selections and help the local economy.”

The restaurant’s name originated from a business class at the State University of New York at Fredonia. They all came up with and voted on names and logo designs, and Buddy Brewster’s won.

Though they got it done in a timely manner, remodeling during a pandemic, according to Carlsons, was a challenge. “Finding contractors has been the toughest part,” Andrew said. “But we made it through, found some great people to work with, and we are opening on Monday.”

He explained that with hiring new employees, they spent the week before opening training for 40 hours, due to the new COVID-19 regulations and ensuring customers can enjoy and feel safe when visiting.

For more information, visit buddybrewsters.com or go to their Facebook page called Buddy Brewster’s Ale House. Their hours, starting on Monday, are Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Andrew said they are excited to reopen under a different brand. “We’re really excited to bring this concept to the Fredonia area. I think it fits in perfectly with what Fredonia needs,” he said. “We’re still focusing on the food yet also offering a place to hang out and get some craft brews.”