After more than two decades in downtown Delaware, Old Bag of Nails Pub has closed its doors. The restaurant at 66 N. Sandusky St. served its final customers on Sunday, Oct. 11, ending a 22-year run in the city.
The closure wasn’t a decision to leave Delaware behind, but rather due to the fact that they couldn’t come to an agreement on a lease.
“We are unable to reach a long-term agreement with the landlord that would allow us to continue operations,” the restaurant said in its closing announcement.
Why Did Old Bag of Nails Close?
The Delaware location opened in 2004, and its original 20-year lease expired in 2024. Since then, the restaurant had been operating on a month-to-month arrangement while trying to secure a longer-term deal.
According to Columbus Business First, the company hoped to negotiate a new lease and even made an offer to purchase the more than 6,000-square-foot building. That offer was not accepted.
Without a long-term commitment to the property, the company said it didn’t make sense to invest in the upgrades and other improvements the building needed. The restaurant thanked its staff and the Delaware community for more than 20 years of support and encouraged customers to stop by during its final week.
Old Bag of Nails Isn’t Leaving Ohio
While the Delaware location has closed, Old Bag of Nails is still operating at other locations around Ohio and in Michigan.
The restaurant brand began in Worthington in 1996, when founders Michael and Tara Purdum turned part of a former hardware store into a neighborhood pub. Fish and chips became a signature menu item, alongside classic pub fare like burgers and wings.
Today, the company has locations across Central Ohio and beyond, including in Bexley, Hilliard, Marysville, Newark, Pickerington, Upper Arlington, Westerville, Whitehall, and Worthington.
And Delaware might not be out of the picture forever.
“Should an opportunity present itself for an Old Bag of Nails Pub in Delaware in the future, we would be happy to return,” the restaurant said on social media.
For now, though, the downtown spot at 66 N. Sandusky St. has served its last plate of fish and chips.
