World
Goodbye to popular Viera craft beer bar as it preps for closure on New Year’s Eve
World of Beer Viera will close its doors permanently after its scheduled New Year’s Eve festivities.
Located at The Avenue Viera, the establishment celebrated its 15-year anniversary earlier this month.
In a Facebook post, owners Chuck and Maribeth Liska said of the closure, “This comes with great sadness as we have met some of the most wonderful people including staff that became friends and eventually our WOB family … We will never forget our time at WOB Viera and hopefully our paths will cross again. Thank you to everyone that made WOB Viera everyone’s place to call home.”
What was World of Beer Viera known for?
With 500 different bottled and draft beers, a pet-friendly patio with space for 50 people and trivia nights, World of Beer was also known for its special events and giving back to the community.
The Viera location did not serve food; however, guests were welcome to purchase food from nearby restaurants and eat in-house. With room for more than 100 people inside, it was a spacious place for groups to gather.
Is World of Beer in trouble?
The franchise started in Tampa in 2007, and the company grew quickly within several years of the first location’s opening.
According to an August Chowhound article, the company saw challenges prior to the pandemic within different business models among the stores. Once the pandemic temporarily shuttered many businesses and kept potential customers at home, World of Beer saw significant financial losses. Fifteen percent of its locations remained closed after mandates ended. World of Beer closed international locations entirely and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2024.
However, according to National Restaurant News, World of Beer has rebounded and expects to open up to five locations annually in the next five years.
“Our emergence from Chapter 11 places WOB on a solid path for long-term success – while maintaining the quality of the WOB Bar & Kitchen experience,” president and chief executive officer Paul Avery said in a statement.
“We remain deeply committed to serving our loyal customers, supporting our employees and franchises, and driving innovation and growth in a competitive market. With an exceptionally strong leadership team, I believe this is just the beginning of a prosperous new chapter for our brand.”
What will go into the space World of Beer Viera occupies?
It is unknown at this time what business will occupy the soon-to-be empty space at 2290 Town Center Ave., Melbourne.
The future of craft beer and breweries
Longtime World of Beer customer Gregg Wiggins of Indian Harbour Beach, a retired journalist, once covered the brewing industry for national consumer and industry publications.
“Beginning in the 1980s and until about 2020, it seemed like new breweries were opening every week,” said Wiggins, who recalled starting to go to World of Beer shortly after moving to Brevard County in 2011.
“But craft beer as a segment of the hospitality industry has been having difficulties for some time, with both dedicated beer bars and breweries going out of business across Florida and nationwide,”
Amber Olesen is FLORIDA TODAY’s food and dining reporter. Reach her at aolesen@floridatoday.com.
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