COLUMBUS, Ind. — A downtown restaurant that has been temporarily closed for three months could reopen soon — under new management.
The Garage Pub and Grill is likely to be sold to new owners, said redevelopment director Heather Pope at a recent city meeting.
“We are in the process of talking with those folks and either negotiating a new contract or looking to have them accept the current contract for the Garage Pub and Grill,” she told the redevelopment commission on Tuesday. “But they have indicated to us that they’re anxious to get the Garage Pub and Grill back open again as soon as possible.”
Current owner Steve Leach declined to comment on the matter.
“The commission has committed to moving the reassessment as quickly as possible while still completing due diligence on the potential new owners and will likely hold a special meeting in the near future,” Pope said.
The Garage closed for the season in late November, citing safety concerns for both workers and customers amid the pandemic.
“It isn’t socially responsible to encourage crowds or have live entertainment, which is what we are known for, and continue to put our amazing staff at risk,” the restaurant said in a social media post.
It also stated in the comments that it was “closed until further notice” but hoped to reopen in the spring.
The Garage Pub and Grill is one of six restaurants who are city tenants and have received rent relief from the city. The others are Orange Leaf, Subway, Luciana’s, Bucceto’s, and Lucabe Coffee. In late November, the Columbus Redevelopment Commission voted to provide 100% rent abatement for all six restaurants from Jan. 1 to June 30 of 2021.
For the complete story, see Sunday’s Republic.
