WENDELL — Dining at Deja Brew Cafe & Pub may become no more than a memory, as its owner has announced the spot will cease operation as a restaurant this weekend.
Patti Scutari said Saturday, April 15, will be Deja Brew’s final day of regular operation, though it will open for the previously scheduled music entertainment slated for April 21, April 28 and May 5.
She also said she plans to rent space for private parties and music festivals.
Scutari said it pains her to close this chapter of her life, but operating the restaurant is no longer financially feasible.
“I’ve put my heart and my soul into this place for the last 11 and a half years,” she said while seated in the restaurant’s back dining room on Monday, a few days after announcing the news. “It’s not that this can’t be very successful.”
Scutari, 63, said high food costs are one factor for the change, adding that the sour economy and a battle with kidney cancer three years ago added to her difficulties. She said she was out of the restaurant for eight weeks recovering from surgery following her diagnosis in May 2014. She then had to scale back her workload for her health.
“Since that year, it started kind of trending down,” she said. “Coming back, I gave it my greatest effort, but I had to deal with myself, too.”
The pub’s small kitchen often meant customers have to wait an hour or longer for their food. Scutari said though loyal friends and patrons are patient, this wait time usually scares away first-timers.
Scutari fought back tears reminiscing about opening the establishment with her late husband, Vic, and what the pub has meant to the community.
“From the beginning when I opened this place, all I wanted was for everybody that came into this place to feel like they were coming to my home,” she said, getting choked up again.
Scutari also mentioned a local effort to encourage her to keep the doors open. Shutesbury resident Jeff Lacy, who said he has frequented Deja Brew since it opened, started a “once-a-month club” of people who have pledged to have dinner at the pub at least once a month for the foreseeable future if Scutari stays open. He said the club is now up to 51 people. He admits he is not sure if this will work, but it is nonetheless a testament to how much the community appreciates Scutari and all she has done.
“The thing about Patti is, everybody loves her,” Lacy said. “When I first heard of this — I think it was last week — I was just horrified, because the Deja is my favorite restaurant.”
He said the once-a-month club would also support a new owner willing to maintain Scutari’s mission and core values.
Scutari said if the scheduled musical acts bring in large crowds, she might consider opening on Fridays and Saturdays. Anyone interested in renting the space for a private event can call 978-544-2739.
Scutari said two people are interested in purchasing Deja Brew.
She said Deja Brew opened on Sept. 1, 2005. This was 12 years after she and Vic Scutari moved to Wendell from Long Island after years of political activism and purchased the Wendell Country Store. She said Vic envisioned the space, once part of the store, as a night spot. The pub is sandwiched between the store, open every day of the year except Christmas, and the local post office.
“I have to now put 100 percent of my available energy into making the country store viable,” she said.
Josh Levangie & the Pistoleros are scheduled for 9 p.m. to midnight on April 21. Zydeco Connection is set for 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on April 28 and The Equalites are slated for 9 p.m. to midnight on May 5. On these nights, the bar will open at 7 p.m. for drinks and pizza will be for sale by the slice. After 9 p.m., there will be a $5 cover charge for the band. For updates, visit dejabrewpub.com.
Domenic Poli can be reached at dpoli@recorder.com.