 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurants, Bars |
| Founded | Boston,Massachusetts, bar/restaurant (1969) |
| Founder | Tom Kershaw |
| Headquarters | |
Number of employees | 275 |
| Website | https://cheersboston.com/ |
Cheers Beacon Hill is a bar/restaurant located on Beacon Street in theBeacon Hill neighborhood ofBoston, Massachusetts, across from theBoston Public Garden. Founded in 1969 as theBull & Finch Pub, the bar is best remembered internationally as the exterior of the bar seen in theNBC sitcomCheers, which ran between 1982 and 1993.[1] The Bull & Finch changed its name to Cheers in 2002 after closing a deal withCBS Studios, the successors to show producersParamount Television.[2]
The Bull and Finch Pub was founded in 1969 by Thomas Kershaw and a partner. The two owned a building in Beacon Hill, Hampshire House, and wanted to find a use for the basement which at the time was inefficiently used as just storage. They tried to model the Bull & Finch on Englishpubs, complete with accoutrements imported from England. One story behind its name is that it is a reference to the architectCharles Bulfinch, who designed theMassachusetts State House among other buildings.[2] The bar was popular with locals in its first decade.[3] The upstairs of Hampshire House at the time was a private club called Quaffer's.[4] In 1982Boston magazine awarded the Bull & Finch the title of Boston's best bar.[5][1]
In 1981, writersGlen and Les Charles and producerJames Burrows visited Boston seeking an authentic local bar to use for the TV show that would becomeCheers.[2] The trio thought the Bull & Finch fit perfectly. Kershaw, happy to get free advertising, accepted a fee of one dollar for rights to use the exterior image of the property inCheers. Theestablishing shot of theopening sequence showed the Bull & Finch in all eleven seasons. The popularity of the show led to a great increase in tourist visits to the bar, although locals began to avoid it.[3] A 1990 report said that the bar had become one of the top three tourist destinations in Boston.[2]
On May 20, 1993, the night ofCheers series finale, Tom Kershaw held a large party outside of the bar to commemorate the event. Many people gathered there to watch the finale on two large TV screens specially set up for the event, while the cast ofCheers watched the finale inside.[6] The episode ofThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno that aired after the finale took place live at the party outside the bar, with many celebrities including sportscasterBob Costas present.Jay Leno interviewed those in the bar and played games with theCheers cast, and at the end of the show theCheers theme was played outside.
At some point, the bar expanded upward into Hampshire House, with a replica of the California set used for people expecting the version from television. In 2002, the bar was renamed to "Cheers Beacon Hill" as part of a new deal withCBS Studios, the successors to show producersParamount Television, along with increasing the amount ofCheers merchandise sold.[2]
Between August 2001 and August 2020, there was a branch location, Cheers Faneuil Hall, inFaneuil Hall. To capitalize on the popularity of the TV show, this location was built with a replica of the TV bar. The final day of the replica bar included a live band playing the Cheers theme, an appearance by owner Tom Kershaw and a raffle to win a photocopy of the script forthe final episode. Kershaw cited theCOVID-19 pandemic and a dispute with the landlord at Faneuil Hall for the closing.[7][8]
On March 10, 2009, theBoston Globe reported that longtime Cheers bartender Eddie Doyle, with a 35-year tenure that predated the sitcomCheers, had been laid off. Owner Tom Kershaw cited therecession as the reason for the decision.[9] The block on which Cheers resides has been renamed Eddie Doyle Square in his honor.[10]
Cheers Beacon Hill is owned by Thomas A. Kershaw, who also owns the Hampshire House restaurant upstairs and the nearby restaurants,75 Chestnut, and 75 Liberty Wharf in the Seaport.[11]
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42°21′21″N71°04′16″W / 42.355888°N 71.071222°W /42.355888; -71.071222
