The wedding must go on!
Some employees of the Dumbo event space Rebar, reeling after the owner abruptly closed the venue without warning on Friday, say a wedding reception booked for tomorrow is a go thanks to employees who will volunteer to work the nuptials free of charge.
“It’s the least we can do,” said Dina Thaverne, a bartender and server at the shuttered Front Street party palace. “It’s not like we have a job to go to or anything.”
Rebar employees came in to work this morning expecting a normal day. But when they arrived, they found a note on the door saying the joint was shuttered.
“Rebar is closed and bankrupt. Do not enter,” it reads.
Employees said a two line e–mail from Jason Stevens, Rebar’s owner, accompanied the note, but the message did not provide any further information about what is happening or why. The restaurant website also went dark on Friday, leaving employees wondering what to do next.
“Everyone wants to know what’s going on,” Thaverne said.
The event space is booked with weddings for the next year, according to staffers, with many couples having left a deposit already or paid in full.
Tomorrow’s scheduled wedding is moving across the street to Baco Dumbo, where Rebar staff have volunteered to serve the guests for free.
“They lost thousands,” said Thaverne. “I feel bad for me, but I feel more upset for the people who have weddings planned.”
Staffers are scrambling to try and find places for other upcoming parties, they claimed.
Stevens could not be reached for comment.
Workers also said that Friday is usually pay day, and that no checks were issued. And with Stevens taking down Rebar’s web site, and not answering phone calls or e–mails, the staff is not optimistic about getting their money or having a job.
“It’s time to look for something else,” said Thaverne. “Today, this was just really hard.”
