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Scanlons hand off Cornell’s after 13 years of operation

PHOTO/JERRY SPAR

After an extended waiting period, Cornell’s Irish Pub officially has transferred to a group of new owners.

A press release sent out by the restaurant Thursday announced the sale had been finalized. The previous owners, Ellen and Colm Scanlon, have handed over Cornell’s to Erin Trites and Brad Kaye. The pair, along with their spouses, plan to keep the restaurant mostly the same.

Trites told the Independent that the transfer of the restaurant’s liquor license, which was approved by the Select Board in August, forced the final sale to take longer than anticipated.

“[It got] held up for a little while,” said Trites. “It needed a few signatures on approval from the state, and those approvals took a really long time.”

Although the town approved the license transfer, it needed to be reviewed and signed off on by the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC). Trites said the ABCC process was in a “seven-week backlog,” but it was mostly a formality.

“We knew we were approved, we just needed that piece of paper,” she explained. The final sale closed Wednesday once the approval was granted.

Trites said the Scanlons appeared happy with the sale and have expressed a readiness to retire. The former owners purchased the restaurant from Rorbert Cornell in 2012.

Kaye and Trites anticipate no disruptions to service, with the restaurant remaining open through the transition. One change Trites noted was a shift in operating hours. Beginning Monday, Cornell’s will go back to opening at 11 a.m. instead of noon, reversing changes made during the COVID-19 pandemic.

— NICK SCHOFIELD

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Photo of the Day

Hopkinton Police Officers Brian Ziniti and Lucille Creedon stand in front of a cruiser that has a blow-up of Will Ferrell’s “Elf” character in the front seat.

PHOTO/JOHN CARDILLO