LEWISTON — Pedro O’Hara’s, the Irish-Mexican-theme restaurant opened on Main Street by former police chief Bill Welch and a business partner in 2010, announced the end on Friday.

Bill Welch pictured with his 6-year-old twin grandsons, Dylan Blue, left, and Ethan Blue, as they prepare for St. Patrick’s Day with a boiled dinner at Pedro O’Hara’s in Lewiston in 2013. The restaurant announced Friday that it’s closing in a week. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal file photo

A Facebook post thanking long-time customers and staff cited a number of reasons, including “the difficulty of trying to find people to work, the restrictions on seating complicity, and the inability to negotiate a new lease.”

The restaurant is closing May 15.

Reached by phone, staff said Welch was not available for comment.

In a 2013 feature, Welch said he partnered with his friend and co-owner of the Brunswick Pedro O’Hara’s, Troy Kavanaugh, to open the new Lewiston location a year after his retirement from the Lewiston Police Department.

The Brunswick location closed last summer after 17 years.

The response to Friday’s social media post was swift with many patrons thanking the restaurant for great memories and wishing everyone well.

A note from the restaurant encouraging people to come pick up any personal memorabilia that had been hung on the walls or been on display at Pedro O’Hara’s prompted one person to write, “So sad to hear this! Time to collect some missing undergarments.”

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