A high-profile Connecticut restaurateur who embarked on a rapid expansion in 2020 has lost the keys to another location, again for allegedly not making the rent.
Gina Luari, founder and chief executive of The Statement Group, has been evicted from RAW*, a seafood bar on Church Street in downtown Hartford, court records show.
Luari opened the restaurant – its signature tagline “Oh baby, I like it raw” – in 2023 with the help of $150,000 from the city’s Hart Lift storefront revitalization grant program.
The eviction from a storefront in the 29-story office tower at 280 Trumbull St. took place this month, according to court records.
This latest eviction comes just days after a Superior Court judge denied Luari’s request to remain in a storefront in West Hartford’s Blue Back Square where she had planned to open a bakery.
RAW*, a seafood bar on Church Street in downtown Hartford, has been evicted by the landlord of 280 Trumbull St., allegedly for not paying rent. (Kenneth R. Gosselin/Hartford Courant)
The landlord, Blue Back Capital Partners LLC, alleged unpaid rent and pushed ahead with an eviction.
The owner of downtown Hartford’s 280 Trumbull — Grunberg Realty, based in New York City — alleged in a Sept. 19 court filing that Luari and a Statement Group affiliate, RAW Hartford LLC, did not make a required payment of $18,543 before a deadline of Sept. 15, court records show.
The payment included rent of $7,543 for September, plus “arrearage” of $11,000 that was originally due in late August.
Restaurateur Gina Luari, second from right, looks on in a file photo from 2022 as former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin announces another round of grants from the city’s Hart Lift storefront revitalization program. The announcement was held in the space that would become Luari’s RAW* seafood bar on Church Street in downtown Hartford. (Kenneth R. Gosselin/Hartford Courant)
A check was delivered for the amount, but it did not clear on Sept. 19, touching off the move to evict.
Grunberg and Luari also were in court in 2024 over unpaid rent but that complaint was withdrawn, according to court records.
David A. Hill, an attorney for Grunberg, declined comment.
In an emailed statement to The Courant Tuesday, Brian M. Silver, an attorney for Luari, said RAW* had achieved tremendous success when it first opened and “from day one, the concept resonated with the community and quickly became a vibrant part of the city’s dining landscape.”
“Unfortunately, after the business was forced to close due to an incident of vandalism, it became extremely challenging to re-launch the space and rebuild momentum following such an extended period of downtime particularly within the current downtown market conditions,” Silver said, in the statement.
The signature tagline of Gina Luari’s seafood bar in downtown Hartford was “Oh baby, I like it raw.” The restaurant has been evicted from the space at 280 Trumbull, allegedly for not paying rent. (Kenneth R. Gosselin/Hartford Courant)
Silver praised Grunberg’s “consistent cooperation and willingness to work with us throughout this process,” Silver wrote. “Despite everyone’s best efforts, the difficult decision has been made to cease operations at RAW*.”
Silver wrote, “My client remains proud of what was built, grateful for the support of its patrons and partners, and looks forward to bringing that same level of creativity and spirit into its currently operating restaurant locations.”
In addition to two locations in Hartford, Luari operates The Place 2 Be in New Haven and West Hartford.
Luari launched an ambitious expansion in 2020, beginning with her flagship The Place 2 Be brand, five years after opening her first restaurant in Hartford’s South End.
But Luari’s The Place 2 Be in Springfield at the basketball hall of fame permanently closed earlier this year. Court documents show the West Hartford location of The Place 2 Be in Blue Back — separate from the bakery she intended to open — will shutter by the end of March.
Both locations were mired in allegations of unpaid rent and other troubles.
Gina Luari founded The Statement Group, based in Hartford, to encompass her expanding restaurant locations, including the flagship Place 2 Be. (Courant file photo)
Luari also has publicly tussled with the owners of the apartment building on Constitution Plaza, where she also operates The Place 2 Be, over rent payments. The location remains open.
The Constitution Plaza location also was selected for a $150,000 Hart Lift grant. The grant program is administered by the Hartford Chamber of Commerce.
Luari’s legal problems deepened significantly last month when she was arrested on a felony larceny charge in East Hartford. She is accused of allegedly writing checks for more than $10,000 to a restaurant supplier on an account that was closed.
She was released on a $10,000 bond, according to state records.
In a series of interviews over months with The Courant, Luari has blamed her setbacks on circumstances beyond her control: a fire and water damage at The Place 2 Be on Constitution Plaza; a water pipe break at The Place 2 Be in Blue Back; alleged employee embezzlement in Springfield; vandalism at RAW*; and supply-chain disruptions.
Luari has consistently pushed back on the notion that she expanded too quickly.
In the last several months, at least two of Luari’s Place 2 Be restaurants — in downtown Hartford and West Hartford — closed temporarily because they lost a valid sales tax license.
Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com.
