Courthouse Grill closes

Another one bites the dust.

I was sorry to learn this evening that the Courthouse Grill has closed.

I had great hopes for it as the new worldwide headquarters of the Woodstock Chapter of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. I did retrieve the Groundhog Club banner from the front window where it was proudly displayed for the few days between Linda’s accepting it and the closing.

You may remember that Linda’s arm got a $5,000 twist, when the Liquor Commission socked her last year with the water bill for the time between the closing of the previous business and her purchase of the restaurant. What can a liquor license applicant do but accept whatever a Liquor Commission says will be the way it’s going to be? It’s pretty hard to operate a restaurant without a liquor license.

But that wasn’t the downfall. And the weakening economy doesn't seem to be responsible for the closing. I don’t have the whole story yet, but it seems there may have been a $290,000 loan on assets of the restaurant of which she was unaware at the time she purchased the business. After eight months of wrangling with that lender, the end arrived.

This causes me to wonder about the due diligence done at the time of the sale. A purchaser expects to know the complete financial picture, but who does the checking? Some wise wag once said, “Trust but verify.”

Sort of makes that $5,000 look like only a pin prick, doesn’t it?

Good luck to Linda, wherever she lands. And to all the employees who stuck with her.