Is Olde Hitching Post Restaurant & Tavern Still Open? (Hanson, MA)

The Olde Hitching Post Restaurant & Tavern has served Hanson, Massachusetts, since starting as a small coffee shop in the 1950s before growing, through renovations and expansions, into a full-service restaurant and bar at 48 Spring Street. Tom Kessaris, who according to the Whitman-Hanson Express had purchased the business in 2005, owned the restaurant at the time of Ramsay's visit, filmed in mid-2012; the Kitchen Nightmares episode, which aired January 25, 2013, worked through the kitchen and service issues typical of the show's format before Ramsay oversaw a relaunch of the menu and dining room. What has happened since: the restaurant continued operating under Kessaris before he sold it to his daughter, Andrea Garnavos, and her husband, Spiro, in 2014.

The Whitman-Hanson Express reported, on August 18, 2022, that the Garnavoses in turn sold the Hitching Post to Lori and Jason Cook of Pembroke, who kept the Hitching Post name and retained the existing staff through the transition; the town's Select Board approved the transfer of the restaurant's liquor license that same month. Andrea Garnavos told the paper, "It's been a really good 17 strong years.. we've had a really good run, and these two are going to have a great run." The Cooks, who also jointly operate Somewhere Else Tavern in nearby Pembroke, indicated they would continue running the business much as the Garnavoses had, with Jason Cook taking on day-to-day management.

The restaurant's offerings have long included homemade American fare alongside Italian dishes, steaks, and seafood, served with a full bar, according to its own site. As of a September 2026 check, the restaurant's own website continued to list current hours, a full menu, and contact information for the Spring Street location, and a Yelp listing for the address carried 136 reviews with no permanently-closed marking as of that check.