After what was likely a rough 24 hours or so for Brian Metzger, he sent out a press release this afternoon announcing that the Abbey will be open tonight:

After an unexpected interruption to our regular service, we are thrilled to announce that we are OPEN today as of 4 p.m. for regular hours. My family, staff and I would like to thank everyone for your support and encouraging comments, texts, calls, posts and emails. We are a local, family-owned and family-friendly business that works very hard each and every day to offer fun, fresh, and seasonal food together with excellent service. But we made an error and are working to correct it. The Abbey is a restaurant I built for my family and for our community; in fact, I named it after my daughter, Abby, and the success of each of our restaurants is of the utmost importance to me. As always, I’m grateful to our incredible team of dedicated staff who have been understanding and are ready to serve up outstanding food with exceptional service. So please, come join us tonight to experience our new and incredible menu – we’re still taking reservations for this weekend, including Mothers Day brunch and dinner. Thank you Tucson, and thank you Southern Arizona!

This article appears in May 8-14, 2014.

The editor of the Tucson Weekly. I have no idea how I got here.

12 replies on “The Abbey’s Open Again”

  2. Per another news source, this may be simply a stay of execution – there’s another hearing next week.

    I had been unaware of the various fed and BK court actions involving Metzger’s restaurants until the past 24 hours. As much as I like to support locally-owned eateries, the fact that a creditor had to resort to this type of action makes me think that patronizing any Metzger operation would be enabling.

    Curious that only one side of the story appears here, with no mentioned of the Chapter 11 filing/hearing. Nothing from Ventura-Pacific?

    RIP – Journalism in Tucson.

  3. We wrote about the creditor situation yesterday, but as it stands, I just wanted to give people an update. The back and forth legal situation is a longer story and one we may re-approach later.

    But, yeah, because we didn’t help carry out your own information agenda, journalism is dead. You got it.

  4. at least they didn’t resort to squating in their restaurant to avoid eviction…

  5. My apologies, kind sir, for expecting more from what now I realize is simply a blog (AKA “rip and read” in radio and TV news reporting). Contrary to your statement of writing about the “creditor situation”, there’s no mention yesterday or today of Mr Metzger’s Chapter 11 filing and emergency hearing. Correct?

    Journalism (as I was taught by the UA) calls for both sides – and perhaps analysis – of a news story.

    Contrary to your assertion, I have no “information agenda”. I readily admit that I have no vested interest in this matter and am a relic of an age when there was a firewall between the editorial and advertising depts.

    Kindly forgive my misplaced expectation, being a relic and all.

    And, yeah, RIP – Journalism in Tucson.

  6. Ha ha ha… by the skin of their teeth! This “restaurant group” now has the worst reputation in Arizona… andttheir has been some bad ones! 2 bankrupt restaurants, forclosed home, still not divorced, and now a laughing stock of tucson. Charlie Sheen would not say you are ” winning ” sir. I’m going to dine elsewhere.

  7. Sorry, Messr Gibson, cat got your tongue?

    While you were running press releases, Chris Limberis would have already dug into the downtown taco joint’s deets, and disclosed how the scammer-du-jour was rolling forward his investor and federal tax obligations, from Jax to Abbey, and beyond. How much will this cost the locals, pray tell.

    So sad to note that local journalism died with Mr Limberis in 2005, and that the Weekly is an ancient relic.

    And we know how relics fare in the new 10/30 order, eh?

  10. UofAzWildkitty: Actually, I was out in the community doing something, instead of hanging out in a comment section talking about a somewhat meaningless issue. I personally don’t try to spend a lot of time thinking about what the departed might or might not have done, considering I have a job of my own to do and other stuff going on, but best of luck to you, sir! I’m sure there’s a meeting of people who still care about old Tucson Press Club meetings somewhere you’re missing.

    For the record, just to address one baseless accusation you threw in there, I’m relatively sure Metzger has never advertised with us, but if he had, it wouldn’t change anything. Feel free to talk our sales reps. I’m a friendly guy, but the paper’s integrity (and mine) are worth a lot more than chasing the transitory cash of one advertiser or another.

    But, as an addendum, I find it really odd that you (like some others) blame the employee in this transaction, considering anyone who actually tries to make a living in this field these days realizes that there’s more and more work to do every single day for less pay. I wish I had more time to dig through court records, although I doubt I’d use that energy to chase down restaurateurs all that often.

    That’s partially due to the economics of the business, partially due to diminishing audiences who would rather play a Flappy Bird knockoff than read something. We can always do better, and I’m under no illusion that I’m perfect, but it’s a lot easier on your side of the peanut gallery, something which I suspect you realize considering you won’t even put your name on your comments.

  12. Dan Gibson-

    You had better hope that Garrett didn’t read your responses to this article! He’d be very upset while he scarfs down some mussels and he’d likely consider leaving the Weekly for greener pastures. When Garrett departs, you might as well just pack up the tent and shut down this dish rag as he is the only thing good the Weekly has going for it.

Comments are closed.