Front Street Grill

[Odonate]

"Downtown Nanaimo Restaurant Closes Doors Overnight Leaving Employees Fighting for Pay Cheques"

http://www.ctvvancouverisland.ca/201...r-pay-cheques/

NANAIMO – Employees at a downtown Nanaimo restaurant and coffee shop say they’ve been suddenly left out in the cold.

Until Monday, they worked at the Front Street Bar and Grill and the Dancing Goat Coffee Shop on Front Street.

But in the middle of the night, under the cover of darkness, the businesses were emptied out and suddenly shut down.

Employees are now claiming the banks are refusing to cash cheques from the owner and are now out hundreds of dollars in unpaid hours.

The owner says he has sunk close to $200,000 into the operation and simply had no other option but to close.

Video at the source includes interviews with staff and the owner. I wonder what would make a better business for that location.

[Therise]

My daughter worked there part time as a server/bartender. She's working two jobs this summer to pay for her university. Makes me damn mad that she (along with the others) are financially affected. The owner doesn't appear to have any remorse for the employees who trusted him. It's unfortunate that he is not held responsible, and it's a shame that he didn't have the integrity to inform them of his decision. Shame on him.

[All Ages Music Concerts]

My daughter worked there part time as a server/bartender. She's working two jobs this summer to pay for her university. Makes me damn mad that she (along with the others) are financially affected. The owner doesn't appear to have any remorse for the employees who trusted him. It's unfortunate that he is not held responsible, and it's a shame that he didn't have the integrity to inform them of his decision. Shame on him.

I am sure this creep will at some point be responsible to the employees. I for one would think that there has to be some kind of protection for this kind of business conduct towards employees. What a slim to creep out in the night to take what assets he/she could grab for their taking and care not for those that trusted the employer. I hope the employees get their wages and accrued holiday pay paid to them.

This kind of business act really makes me shake my head.

[Therise]

Well the employees cheques are bouncing bouncing bouncing.... my daughter has pretty well decided to frame it as a souvenir. So sad.

[treblemaker]

Let's just say that I'm not surprised. Outside of immediate staff who worked there on a daily basis, I knew about the place better than anyone else. I know how much the owner invested, because he used to cry the blues to me every time I saw him. The problem was that he didn't realize the buck stopped with him---that he was the problem, not the musicians who performed there, or the staff who worked for him. I used to listen to him blame everyone and everything else for the business not working---the economy, the weather, the location, the turnover, the musicians. In dealing with those under him, he was quick to anger, hard to please, and generally disrespectful to many of the performers. Disagreeing with him incurred his wrath. He never built up a clientele of diners, choosing instead to build a customer base solely on the followers of the performers, an idea doomed to failure. Front Street Grill could have been a comfortable place for elegant dining with jazzy music, but he turned it into a drunk's paradise. Oh, well, I tried.

[All Ages Music Concerts]

I remember the old Dancing Goat at North Town Centre. The original owner (widowed) sold the business to retire. ( I had spoken with him on many occassions). When the new owners took over it was sad to see that the new owners did not carry on like the old. They did not continue to cater to the public but rather to themselves. They lost business. So they moved on and lost again. I do feel for those that gave of their time only to get screwed in the end by him. He does not seem to have to much conscience: other than to blame others for his incompetence as a business person. Maybe he should suck it up and deal with it properly.

[treblemaker]

Let's start with: a) how about better music, not just open mics, jam sessions and blues nights that proliferate around here, but real, top quality professionals performing for a fair rate in front of a dining and drinking crowd that will spend the money for a nice evening out; b) how about a better quality of food well prepared, and not a "boutique-style" menu that caters to the ego of the restauranteur, but to the general public; and c) a wiser owner who understands that not only does the quality of the restaurant comes first, but also understands the necessity of live music to add to the total ambience (where the performer(s) bring their following as an addition to the dining crowd), and not the only reason for its existence. That attitude belongs in a pub.

[BurnabyMatt]

My girlfriend and I were really sad to see this. We have been there several times and it was our favorite restaurant in town. Not because of the owners, but because of the great food and GREAT service! The young lady that worked there was our favorite server we have ever had! She was a lot of fun to chat to, always on top of the service and gave great suggestions. We just moved to Burnaby for school and every time we went back to the island we went there at least once.
Really sad to see he screwed them over like that!
Thanks for some great times!!!

[treblemaker]

When one door closes, another one opens. I will now be playing with my group the Martys featuring vocalist Joan Wallace at the Driftwood Bistro (next door to the Queens) every other Friday night from 8pm to 11pm starting August 10 (two weeks from today). The loss of my gigs do to the sudden closure of the Front Street Grill has been recuperated. Hope to see all of you there. Nanaimo needs top quality live performers on a steady basis, so I hope that the public will support a place that wants live music without having open mics, jam sessions, and blues nights that seem to proliferate around here in the guise of nightly entertainment.