There’s continuing fallout after the abrupt closure of Red Mesa Cantina in downtown St. Petersburg. The restaurant and event space was a well-known spot for weddings but now couples across Tampa Bay with future bookings are scrambling to find another venue.
One couple in Land O’ Lakes tonight wants to know if they’ll ever get their security deposit back of $6,300; about half the total cost for the ceremony, reception, food and drinks in the rooftop bar.
More than a year ago, Victoria Houston and her fiancé Garrett Fine booked Red Mesa Cantina for their September wedding.
“Red Mesa had such a beautiful rooftop terrace overlooking downtown and it’s a St. Pete staple, so we thought it would be a great location to have everyone celebrate,” Houston says. “[But] one of our wedding guests sent Garrett a screenshot from Facebook yesterday morning, and he came running downstairs and just looked so scared.”
The post on the restaurant’s Facebook page said that after 16 years, they’re closed. But nothing about the couples who had weddings scheduled at their event space. Their contract says their security deposit is non-refundable unless Red Mesa Events alone cancels the event without cause.
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“It’s been pretty chaotic,” says Fine. “We’ve reached out to a lot of different people, just family members, even seeing if we could maybe get a lawyer to even help.”
The owners of the cantina filed chapter 11 bankruptcy. Their lawyer tells 10 Tampa Bay News they are “committed to assisting affected clients and will communicate with guests regarding upcoming events and minimize disruption to scheduled events.”
In a statement, those owners said, “Red Mesa Cantina and Red Mesa Events became casualties of a combination of economic and market factors that have created extraordinary challenges for hospitality businesses throughout the region. Restaurants and events are luxuries that, for many in the community, have become difficult to prioritize.”
“We intend to file an emergency motion with the bankruptcy court to address these issues [Thursday,]” says bankruptcy attorney Kathleen DiSanto. “If approved by the bankruptcy court, guests will have the opportunity to have their event take place at another venue in the Red Mesa entertainment group or to receive a refund, up to the amount of the priority cap provided by the Bankruptcy Code for household and consumer deposits.”
The national consumer law center says that cap for consumers who have deposits tied up in bankruptcy is $3,800, more than two thousand dollars less than what Victoria and Garrett already put down. They think that money should be given back, not just for them but all the other couples who have weddings even sooner and now have to find another venue and put down another deposit.
“We have no idea what’s happening,” Houston adds. “So I just am hoping that at the very least this helps brides connect with other vendors and other venues to get their days rescheduled.”