Nine restaurants opened for business, while two closed their doors.
Seven restaurants announced future plans, including future openings and closings, as well as canceled plans.
Located at 55 N. Main St. (Route 72), Artifice Ales & Mead will occupy part of the former Bickelâs Snack Foods complex being redeveloped into REO Manheim Marketplace. Artifice Ales & Mead photo
Here are the restaurants that opened in Lancaster County in May
Artifice Ales & Mead, a gastropub and brewery, opened in Manheim at the REO Manheim Marketplace. It s managed by Willie Wrede, who is the mead maker and brewer for Meduseld Meadery in downtown Lancaster. The 4,630-square-foot warehouse area was urned into a taproom area for 60 to 70 patrons.
After it was delayed for more than a year, a Bhutanese restaurant is opening later this month in downtown Lancaster.
Norbu Lancaster will debut May 22 at 38 N. Christian St., the former home of Characters Pub, which closed in February 2019. The new restaurant is owned by Tenzin and Sanya Norbu who own Yak n Yeti restaurants in Carlisle and New Cumberland and were ready to open their Lancaster restaurant in April 2020, when their plans were delayed because of the pandemic.
To deal with a labor shortage that was a major part of the Lancaster restaurantâs delayed opening, the Norbus will temporarily close their New Cumberland restaurant and shuttle those employees to work in Lancaster. The Norbus live in New Cumberland and will personally drive the handful of employees to Lancaster.
Tenzin and Sanya Norbu have wanted to open a business in Lancaster County ever since they decided five years ago it would be the best place to raise a family.
Tenzin is a native of the Himalayan country of Bhutan and Sanya is from Lancaster County where she graduated from Hempfield High School. The couple met in New York City where they worked together with diamond industry suppliers. In 2016, they decided to leave the city for Sonyaâs home area with the intention of becoming entrepreneurs.
After opening businesses in Carlisle and New Cumberland, the Norbus found a spot in downtown Lancaster, where in late December they unveiled Norbu Fine Jewelry.