Wash Park Grille assets on the market after tax seizures, co-owner squabbles

After just about 3 many years in trade, the Wash Park Grille has most likely served its ultimate meal.

“I’m simply performed, I will’t do it anymore,” stated proprietor Jeff Estey. “I’ve to liquidate the whole thing.”

“I’m attempting to not record chapter. I wish to pay the workers, I wish to pay everyone — my distributors, everyone. I don’t wish to record for chapter, and I’m preventing as exhausting as I will not to record for chapter. I wish to get everybody squared and get out of this case.”

The Italian eating place at 1096 S. Gaylord St. opened in 1997 and was once owned via Estey and Greg Sauber till the latter’s surprising dying in 2022. In contemporary months, the Wash Park Grille and its neighboring sister eating place, Agave Taco Bar, had been seized via town and the state for unpaid taxes. They lately owe $118,000 and feature been closed since Feb. 4.

The entire whilst, Sauber’s property has been suing Estey for allegedly stealing $1 million in existence insurance coverage proceeds somewhat than the use of the money to shop for out the property’s percentage of the eating places and their actual property. A four-day jury trial is scheduled for the top of Might downtown.

Within the intervening time, the property is looking for an emergency receivership for the companies.

“Within the aftermath of Mr. Sauber’s passing, it has grow to be transparent no longer most effective that Mr. Estey is not able to run the LLCs, but in addition how damaging his deficient decision-making has grow to be,” legal professionals for Sauber’s property wrote to Denver District Pass judgement on Andrew Luxen ultimate week.

“The time period ‘bleeding cash’ is a correct depiction of the present standing of the LLCs.”

The property claims that whilst “the monetary data of the LLCs are a crisis,” it just lately received get admission to to financial institution data appearing that between Sauber’s dying and ultimate December’s first tax seizure, “Mr. Estey handled the trade bank card as his private piggy financial institution.” It discovered journeys to Paris, Cancun, casinos in Las Vegas, and motels and strip golf equipment within the data.

“So, I had some private spending. Is {that a} crime?” Estey stated of the allegations. “Greg had private spending too. It’s no longer even private spending. We owned companies in combination for two decades. We’d say, ‘Hiya, let’s cross right here or cross there,’ and we did it.” Estey is countersuing the property for $170,000 that he claims Sauber took from their companies ahead of his dying.

“The property needs to stay pounding me down, making me the villain,” he stated. “I didn’t ask for Greg to die. I didn’t ask for my spouse of 28 years to simply die and for it to all fall on me.”

All over an interview ultimate week, Estey time and again took factor with the primary line of the property’s movement for a receiver — “This dispute comes to Gregory Sauber’s legacy, which has been run into the bottom via his former trade spouse” — and its singular focal point on Sauber.

“That is the hangup for the property, his legacy? It’s our legacy. He and I went via 3 recessions, COVID, and we survived. Then, as soon as he died, the (expletive) hit the fan.

“Everyone is blaming me and making me the autumn man,” he stated. “I’m simply doing what I will.”

Each Estey and the Sauber property are resolved to close down Wash Park Grille and Agave for excellent, promote 1096 S. Gaylord, and transfer on. However the property doesn’t believe Estey to try this, fearing he’ll borrow towards the construction or sell off it temporarily and cost effectively to repay his money owed. Because of this, the property needs a court-appointed caretaker to supervise the sale procedure.

This can be a procedure that has already begun. After it was once proven to a few Estey acquaintances who’re nonetheless making an allowance for whether or not to shop for it, the valuables hit the marketplace ultimate Thursday.

“The telephone is beautiful busy to this point,” stated dealer Jeff Hallberg of Lee & Buddies, “so we’ll see what occurs.”

Some events have regarded as splitting the Grille assets in two, developing 3 eating places in all, in step with Hallberg. He stated the actual property “is in nice situation” because of Estey’s enhancements over time and “truly more or less sells itself” because of this.