Last November we began raising questions about the rather odd relationship between the City School District of New Rochelle and one of our favorite restaurants, MacMenamin’s Grill:
New Rochelle Superintendent Richard Organisciak Urges School Board, District Employees to “Support” Bankrupt Restaurant. Back then we wrote:
It was not clear what exactly Superintendent Organisciak was proposing the board do about MacMenamin’s Grill or why it is a matter of public concern that MacMenamin’s Grill stay in business. The proposal did, however, generate something rarely seen at board meetings – actual discussion of an agenda item. In fact, board members spent more time discussing the proposed MacMenamin’s Grill “resolution of support” then was spent discussing the previous agenda item – the budgetary impact of the financial crisis and the proposed cuts in New York State funding to the City School District of New Rochelle.
Now comes word that the former MacMenamin’s Grill (now Don Coqui) has been taken over by Robert L. Geltzer, a New York City lawyer, appointed by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Adlai S. Hardin following allegations that “management bounced 50 checks, set up a bank account it did not disclose to a bankruptcy court and failed to file required financial statements.”
Readers will recall that Brian MacMenamin blamed New York State for the bankruptcy filing by offering an account of licensing issues wildly at odds with the State’s version of events.
At the time the Journal News wrote:
The state’s delay in granting a license to expand the culinary school at MacMenamin’s Grill and ChefWorks forced the business to seek bankruptcy protection, the owner said…
MacMenamin does not need the license for the classes he offers to students from New Rochelle High School, Scarsdale High School or the New York School for the Deaf. MacMenamin has contracts with those schools.
But the lack of a license has meant the loss of significant revenue at a time when the poor economy has caused revenues from the restaurant and catering portion of his business to decline about 10 percent, MacMenamin said. That’s a drop he would be able to withstand if he had the license, he said.
The license would enable him to offer classes to students who receive various types of financial aid, including benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill, which is for military veterans, he said. He estimated the classes would bring in about $1 million in annual revenue to start and that could grow to more than $4 million.
For those following the budget battle, there is still a $40,000 line item in the budget for “culinary cooking school”, presumably MacMenamin’s Grill/Don Coqui. Anyone else curious about the money the District is spending over there — and why?
