Blues BBQ files for bankruptcy, may reopen

Blues BBQ & Grill has filed for bankruptcy, but the East Dundee restaurant's attorney says the year-old business may not be closed for long.

Colleen Thomas, the attorney representing Blues BBQ, said the bankruptcy case was filed in a way that allows the owners to come up with a reorganization plan to keep the restaurant going and pay creditors over time.

Blues BBQ owners Buzz Doyle and Patrick Maggi are working to enter a payment plan to pay off their current debts, Thomas said.

"The idea is that they want to keep this business open," Thomas said. "It's a great restaurant. They definitely want to restructure so they can keep going."

During the holiday season, a sign was placed in the window of the restaurant at 102 N. River St., saying it was closing for the holidays.

"That really was all they're closing for," Thomas said. "Their intention is to reopen quickly."

What led to Blues BBQ's bankruptcy wasn't a lack of business, Thomas said.

"My guess would be that the business was doing very well, but I think sometimes it's just difficult to get enough reliable people to help manage it," she said.

But building owner Tom Roeser said Blues BBQ's future "doesn't look good" because of poor management. "In general, I would say a business without good management cannot survive," he said.

Doyle and Maggi also owned Sweet Pop Fizz and Pasquale's Pizzeria and Delicatessen, both located on River Street, for about a year before they closed last summer. They recently stopped paying rent at Blues BBQ, which has been open since October 2014, Roeser said.

"(They) became absentee managers, and that led to the demise of all three," Roeser said. "Our goal now is to rebirth the whole group of them."

Roeser said he has been in discussions with a couple interested in purchasing the Blues BBQ restaurant. Because the case is in bankruptcy court, a judge would have to approve the deal.

"They think they can make this restaurant be a winner," he said.

On whether Blues BBQ owners have considered selling the restaurant, Thomas said, "there are always other options."

"But at this point in time, their intention is to keep the business going," she said. "They love their business and they want customers to continue coming there."