Two longtime Keene restaurants have new owners

Ryan Spencer, The Keene Sentinel, N.H.
·2 min read

Jun. 15—Cheshire Village Pizza and Elm City Brewing Co. — two longtime restaurants in Keene — were sold to new owners in May.

Khaled Alkhatib, who purchased Cheshire Village Pizza from Arthur Skipitaris on May 5, said Monday that he is not planning significant changes to the eatery.

"This business has a history of 37 years of success; it has a really good reputation and a really good customer base," Alkhatib said. "I like the recipe; I like the food we make here ... everything looks good and promising."

Over the past several weeks, he said, he has received training from Skipitaris, whose father, George Skipitaris, started the business in the mid-1980s. With staffing shortages, the first couple weeks running the restaurant have been hectic, Alkhatib said, but business is good and he continues to receive help from the previous owner.

The property at 9 Ashuelot St. sold for just over $1 million, according to city assessing records. Arthur Skipitaris did not return a request for comment.

John Coughlin, the Keene-based broker who facilitated the sale of both restaurants, said Peter Benik purchased Elm City Brewing Co. from Debra Rivest on May 27. The restaurant and bar is at Colony Mill at 222 West St.

Benik on Monday confirmed he is the owner of the business but declined to comment further. Rivest previously declined to comment.

Elm City Brewing, which Rivest opened in 1995 with two partners, was Keene's first brewpub and only the fifth in New Hampshire following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, according to previous reporting by The Sentinel. She was the sole owner of the business from 2003 until its sale last month.

"These are two landmarks that haven't changed hands in almost 40 years and 26 years," Coughlin said, referring to Cheshire Village Pizza and Elm City Brewing, respectively. "Family-owned, very well run — everyone in Keene knows where they are and I'm sure they'll be successful for the next 40 years."

This article has been changed to reflect that Cheshire Village Pizza is on Ashuelot Street in Keene and Elm City Brewing is on West Street.

Ryan Spencer can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1412, or rspencer@keenesentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter at @rspencerKS