P’ville Sports Pubs Michael’s Tavern, McArthur’s to Close Friday

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Mayor Peter Scherer and Pleasantville Chamber of Commerce President William Flooks confirmed that the two popular dining establishments will go out of business with Friday night’s closing. They each said they found out about the upcoming closure suddenly on Wednesday.

Attempts to reach Doug Crossett, who owns the establishments with his family, at the two restaurants on Thursday afternoon were unsuccessful. He will also close a third restaurant, Oliver’s in Katonah, at the same time. Scherer said it wasn’t appropriate to disclose information Crossett told him in a Wednesday conversation regarding the closures.

Michael’s Tavern, a sports pub-style restaurant where customers gather for lunch, dinner, after work at the bar or to watch a game and located at 150 Bedford Rd. in the Old Village, opened more than 30 years ago. McArthur’s, at 14 Washington Ave. and Oliver’s, are similar type establishments.

Scherer said that not only were the two Pleasantville restaurants great places to eat and congregate but he called Crossett “a pillar of the community.”

“That’s, obviously, an extraordinary period of longevity in that business when restaurants don’t generally last nearly that long,” Scherer said. “Doug’s done an awful lot of things right. He has benefitted the community in thousands of ways, he’s been very generous to lots of people and lots of organizations and we’re sorry to see him go, that’s for sure.”

Flooks said he’s hopeful that other proprietors will find the locations attractive to consider. However, for now, the loss of McArthur’s is a significant blow to Washington Avenue, he said. It was a popular destination for diners looking for something to eat that was fairly quick, especially for those on their way to or from the Jacob Burns Film Center across the street.

Its departure will also create a third major vacancy on the street, following the closures of the toy store Try & Buy and B & J Cleaners. Flooks said each business appeared to have separate issues that influenced their closures.

“I would like to think it’s not a domino effect,” Flooks said. “It’s not like it’s a downtrodden street.”

Scherer said he was confident that the two spaces could be filled fairly quickly with new eateries. However, given the length of time they were in the community and the easy-going atmosphere for its employees and patrons, McArthur’s and Michael’s Tavern will be missed, he said.

“They’re comfortable, informal places that are friendly and in many cases there are years-long relationships between people who work there and people who go there,” Scherer said.