Two locations of the Caribbean-themed pirate tavern Black Jack’s Rum Bar & Grille abruptly closed Wednesday amid financial woes stemming from slow summer sales, the owner has confirmed to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
On Wednesday, four upset workers contacted the Sun Sentinel saying they had not received paychecks since Aug. 1 and that business has been sluggish for months.
However, owner Deanne Crosby insisted that Black Jack’s hasn’t permanently closed, that she’s “trying to get everyone paid today” and that she hopes to reopen this weekend, but did not elaborate on how or when. The locations in Fort Lauderdale and Davie employed 53 workers.
“It depends on some financial issues that need to be fixed,” Crosby said. “I’ve been crying all day and I was up until 2 a.m. this morning. While the staff doesn’t believe me, I was very upset about having to close. They’re angry, they’re lashing out, and that’s fine. It’s been a long day.”
She admitted that the biweekly “payday was this past Saturday and I am late” in a text to the Sun Sentinel.
Black Jack’s debuted in the Flagler Village neighborhood on Jan. 26, while the Davie flagship opened in January 2025. Both locations, which feature ship riggings, ocean-blue floors and other buccaneer-chic theming, offer a gastropub menu of burgers, salads, prime-rib sandwiches and a rum wall stocked with hundreds of rare bottles.
Crosby’s father, Fort Lauderdale restaurateur Ted Sabarese, originally signed a 10-year lease in 2023 for the freestanding building on Northeast Third Avenue, across the street from Peter Feldman Park. Sabarese, now 86, is semi-retired and leaves the day-to-day operation of Black Jack’s to Crosby and general manager Russ Twining.
Reached by phone, Twining repeatedly declined to comment on the status of Black Jack’s and referred questions to Crosby.
On Wednesday, a Four Roses bourbon truck driver who showed up at the Fort Lauderdale tavern for a 1:30 p.m. delivery peered through the locked doors of an empty dining room and said aloud, “I don’t know what’s going on,” before driving off.
Phillip Valys / South Florida Sun Sentinel
A Four Roses bourbon truck driver showed up at Black Jack’s Rum Bar & Grille’s Fort Lauderdale location on Wednesday afternoon but promptly left after discovering the doors were locked. (Phillip Valys/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Jay Tilyn, a server for three months, said she “and a lot of my coworkers are upset right now” about the unpaid wages, adding that Crosby on Saturday had tried to reassure staff that this didn’t mean the closing of both locations. However, on Wednesday they were notified of the closures via a group text from Crosby.
“To just drop this closing on us after a week of not getting paid is crazy and disrespectful,” Tilyn said.
Chef Jermaine Taylor, who works shifts at both Black Jack’s locations, said he’s already looking for a new job.
Phillip Valys / South Florida Sun Sentinel
The Fort Lauderdale location of Black Jack’s Rum Bar & Grille was closed on Wednesday afternoon, and its doors were locked. (Phillip Valys/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
“My bills are due now,” he said. “I don’t have a job and I don’t know if I’m going to get paid.”
Crosby confirmed the tavern was open Monday and Tuesday but that several employees didn’t show up for work. She said both locations enjoyed strong business during the monthlong FIFA soccer World Cup but suffered from poor sales over the past month, which “contributed to my financial issues.”
“Until I regroup, they closed,” Crosby said. “But I most certainly am trying to not have this be permanent.”
Sun Sentinel senior features writer Phillip Valys can be reached at pvalys@sunsentinel.com or X/Twitter @philvalys.
Phillip Valys / South Florida Sun Sentinel
The interior of the Fort Lauderdale location of Black Jack’s Rum Bar & Grille. (Phillip Valys/South Florida Sun Sentinel)