Ay! Caramba Owners Hope A Sale Is Imminent

by William F. Galvin

            HARWICH – The lights have been off at Ay! Caramba since January, and town officials responsible for issuing the liquor license for the Harwich Center restaurant want to know why.

            Selectmen requested restaurant owners Ira Mendoza and Judy Blatchford to come before the board Monday night to explain why the license is not in use. The board has a policy requiring notification to selectmen of plans to close a licensed establishment for an extended period of time.

That policy requires a 30-day notice for plans to close for up to 60 days. Selectmen were not notified of the closing and Board of Selectmen Chairman Robin Wilkins admitted the board has not been attentive to the bylaw in similar instances in recent years.

“In my opinion this has to do with the notice required in our bylaw,” Wilkins told the restaurant owners Monday night.

Mendoza explained the restaurant was closed in late January to make a few minor repairs in preparation for the sale of the business.

“I didn’t think we’d be closed that long,” Mendoza said.

She said they were supposed to have a closing on the sale of the business last Thursday, but there were complications. She said it may be scheduled for April 2. In the meantime, they have also begun discussions with another potential buyer. Mendoza said they were scheduled to meet the following day with the potential buyer and they would need a couple more weeks to complete the transaction.

“We’ll hopefully have a buyer by this Friday,” she said.

“I asked to have you before us,” Selectman Peter Piekarski said. “That needs to happen. Rumors go crazy. So we need to bring parties in and listen to them and move forward.”

Piekarski said the business is in the center of Harwich and its closure was noticeable. He said he would like notification of a time certain for the sale, reopening or surrender of the license.

Jack Brown stood in defense of the restaurant owners, stating they have done a great job with it, and they have also given back to the community. He cautioned selectmen the sale may not go smoothly and the town should be prepared to work with the owners.

“This isn’t personal against Ay! Caramba,” Piekarski said. “It’s an ideal location and I’d like to see something there.”

He said the business has been closed for six weeks and he has not heard anything about reopening, only thoughts about selling it. He said the board needs official notification. He made it clear this is bigger than Ay! Caramba and is about enforcing the regulations.

Selectman Larry Cole offered a motion requesting that the restaurant owners submit a letter of notification indicating the amount of time the restaurant will be closed. Mendoza said they would do that and would not need more than three weeks.

“Don’t be overly optimistic,” Cole responded of the potential for delays as already illustrated.

3/27/08