WILLIAMSBURG — Friends Barb Giusti and Pat Walker, both of Windsor, were regulars at The Brewmaster’s Tavern — they went there “at least twice a week,” Giusti said.
“The price and the service were very good, and the food was good,” said Walker on a recent afternoon.
The women were such fans of the place that they purchased gift cards, both as Christmas presents for others and as a treat for themselves. Between the two friends, they have around $1,200 in vouchers. Giusti said that she has $544.46 worth of gift cards, while Walker said she has around $650.
There’s just one problem: The restaurant abruptly closed its doors Jan. 20. Now, both women say they should be reimbursed for what their gift cards are worth.
“You think I should just throw $500 away?” Giusti asked.
Giusti and Walker said they received no warning that The Brewmaster’s Tavern was going out of business — both learned about it on Jan. 21, the day after its last day of operation.
The tavern was owned by Jack Lucey, 65, of Easthampton, who leased the space from Brewmaster’s Brewing Services’ owner-operators Mike Charpentier and Dennis Bates, who own the building at 4 Main St.
Lucey recently told the Gazette that he ran out of money and could not keep the business open.
“Everything fell apart on me,” said Lucey. “I let a lot of people down, unfortunately.”
Giusti and Walker aren’t the only ones left holding gift cards for the closed restaurant. In total, more than half a dozen people who reached out to the Gazette are seeking answers about their purchases.
“We bought them in good faith because we go there a lot,” Giusti said.
Both Giusti and Walker are retired. They said they bought most of their gift certificates at 30% off after Thanksgiving this year. Giusti said the restaurant had previously offered special deals on gift cards, with some sales being 50% off.
Another upset former patron is Jean Musacchio of Northampton. She received a $50 gift certificate for the tavern for Christmas and had used $24 of it prior to the closing. Like Giusti and Walker, she also learned that the restaurant had closed the day after it ceased operating.
“I feel I got robbed,” said Musacchio, who asserted that the owner “needs to reimburse people for these gift certificates.”
Kathy Poissant, who lives in Conway, said she was a frequent patron of The Brewmaster’s Tavern and said that her son gave her and her father gift cards to the tavern for Christmas.
“I feel bad for my son,” said Poissant. “The tavern operator should be responsible for reimbursing people.”
According to a state attorney general’s office spokeswoman, a business generally is responsible for its debts, and that includes unredeemed gift cards. If a business files for bankruptcy, gift card holders may choose to participate in the bankruptcy process, according to the spokesperson; and if a business doesn’t file for bankruptcy, the only recourse may be through the owner or operator of the business. The office stated that while an owner or operator usually isn’t personally liable for the debts of their business, in some cases they may choose to honor certain debts.
If customers believe the owner or operator of a business sold gift cards knowing that the business would not honor them, they should file a complaint with the attorney general’s office.
Customers weren’t the only ones surprised by the tavern shutting down. “The place closed without notice,” said Charpentier of Brewmaster’s Brewing Services.
Charpentier said that he and Bates were informed that the tavern would be closing the Thursday before it shut down — and that the news came as a shock.
“We had a lease with them through May,” he said.
Charpentier and Bates operate Brewmaster’s Brewing Services from the same site as the former tavern. As such, Charpentier said that the brewery has been getting a lot of calls from people asking about their gift cards at the tavern.
Charpentier noted that patrons have been understanding when the situation has been explained to them. Affected customers also have been invited to the brewery for beer, he said, but “it doesn’t replace anyone’s gift card.”
Lucey started working at The Brewmaster’s Tavern 12 years ago as a chef, and he bought the restaurant a year and a half ago. He said that his biggest fear is that people think he’s a bad person.
“I’m ashamed of myself,” Lucey said. “I’m extremely sorry.”
He also said that he didn’t think the business would close while selling gift cards in the month of December.
“Oh my God, no,” said Lucey. “I would never do that to somebody.”
He had hoped that business the weekend before Brewmaster’s closed would be good enough to keep it going for another weekend, and then another, and so on, Lucey said. But it didn’t work out like that.
Lucey said that he plans to file for bankruptcy, and he expects to lose his house and his car. He used personal credit cards to keep the restaurant going.
“I’m in hell right now,” he said.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.