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    COhatch Acquires North High Restaurants, Brewery Turns Back to Beer

    COhatch has found itself with a new line of business, while North High Brewing is getting back to its roots.

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    A partnership between the coworking company and the brewery saw North High quickly expand to several locations across the state and into Indianapolis. Now COhatch has taken over the three remaining brewpubs, as North High comes under new ownership and takes its focus back to beer.

    North High opened its first brewpub in partnership with COhatch in Dublin in July of 2020. The number of partnership locations would balloon to eight over the next few years, mostly recently culminating in the opening of a second Central Ohio location in Westerville. The restaurant opened in tandem with another COhatch location at 240 S. State St. last September.

    North High Owner & Co-Founder Gavin Meyers remains involved and says the opportunity with COhatch came at an ideal time. North High’s original Short North taproom was impacted by the streetscape projects in the neighborhood in 2018, then came COVID. Meyers says it was hard to recapture customers post-COVID without any outdoor space. When the Short North taproom closed at the end of 2022, he signaled that locations like Dublin would be their new direction.

    COhatch acting as landlord and realtor allowed North High to expand in a low-risk way, Meyers says. They could absorb the brewery’s locations that didn’t pan out. In addition to Dublin and Westerville, a third North High remains open in Indianapolis. COhatch has since repurposed several of the shuttered spots. Two have been transformed to meeting, event and coworking space to fill growing demand, while one of the Cleveland locations will find a new operator.

    COhatch Co-Founder & CEO Matt Davis says guests won’t really notice any changes at the Dublin and Westerville brewpubs outside of the way a restaurant might naturally evolve. If North High makes it, he’ll buy it – though they might incorporate a few guest taps. Davis says the Dublin location is doing well, and for as popular as it has been, Westerville has been twice as busy.

    The experience has given both businesses a new appreciation of the restaurant industry.

    Running restaurants is a difficult business Meyers says. They built out a team to match their quick growth, and as the number of locations diminished, the overhead became more than they could handle.

    As for the evolution of coworking to restaurants, Davis’ intent has always been about providing more than just office space. The initial relationship with North High was about providing members a unique amenity. Davis says over the last few years, he’s gained a lot of respect for restauranteurs, seeing a difference between true operators and those who might dabble in the space.

    Davis wants everything COhatch does to be at a certain level. With existing in-house teams dedicated to design, branding, social media and more, they’re able to leverage those skill sets and apply them to their expansion into restaurants. It’s more efficient with less overhead.

    And taking over the North High locations is just the beginning.

    North High Brewing in Dublin – Photo by Susan Post

    What’s Next for COhatch

    COhatch announced plans last fall to expand its footprint in Dublin with Riverview Village. The development will include the renovation and restoration of four existing structures, plus the construction of three new buildings. It also includes plans for at least two bars and/or restaurants. Davis describes one as a saloon-style bar in one of the existing houses that will be attached to an event space. It won’t be open to the public, but have a liquor license for events.

    A red cabin nearer the river at 62 N. Riverview St. will house the other. Davis envisions a unique, high-end cabin experience for the bar. Service will be formal, but the atmosphere casual, comfortable. It won’t be a full restaurant, but it will have some food options.

    A bar is also part of COhatch’s plans for Powell. They’ll present design plans for the new location at 50 E. Olentangy St. soon, with plans finalized in the spring and construction getting underway for a summer 2025 opening.

    Davis is going for swanky, rooftop bar vibes in Powell with 2,900 square feet of indoor space and another 1,600 of outdoor space.

    As for if they would ever bring in another partner for a bar or restaurant, Davis says they will create and operate their own brands for now, but never say never. It’s not about the money, he says, but creating something that people really want to use.

    COhatch will also continue to expand its coworking footprint. In addition to Powell, a Bexley location is in the works at 2691 E. Main St. The two new locations bring COhatch up to 11 offices in Central Ohio.

    A current view of 62 N. Riverview St. – Photo by Susan Post

    What’s Next for North High Brewing

    North High has watched the craft beer industry grow up around it over the last decade plus. When they launched in 2012, there were about seven breweries in Columbus. Now there’s roughly 70. In that competitive landscape, it has become increasingly difficult to grow the brand through distribution, Meyers says.

    To take them back to their beer roots is new majority owners, Wheelhouse Investments and John Paider. With Wheelhouse, North High will focus on getting into new markets.

    One of those new markets will be the ready-to-drink realm. Canned cocktails have exploded in popularity and the brewery will look to get a slice of that pie. Meyers says they are working through the licensing, but to expect some announcements about the new line in the next four to six months.

    Several first-ever beers are also coming down the line for North High, including an Irish cream milk stout and a chocolate raspberry blonde. Imperial IPA Stardust to Stardust is back. Imbibers can also be on the lookout for a new canned beer – Subzero Versus Scorpion – a nod to Mortal Kombat, but also to the small scorpion they found in the brewery a few months ago. (Which likely hitched a ride on a pallet or supply truck.)

    As they breathe some new life into the brand, Meyers says they also have a lot of fun events coming up. And there could even be a time that they open another North High owned-and-operated taproom, but that’s something they’ll keep an eye on over the next couple of years.

    For more information, visit northhighbrewing.com and cohatch.com.

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    Susan Post
    Susan Post
    Susan is the editor of The Metropreneur and associate editor of Columbus Underground, and also covers small business and entrepreneurial news and the food scene in Central Ohio.Susan holds a degree in Communication with a minor in Professional Writing from The Ohio State University. She sits on the board of the Central Ohio Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and loves coffee, whiskey, cooking and spending time with friends and family.
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