Buckner's restaurant closes in Ironton after one month

Grant's Inn Restaurant and Lounge, opened by John Buckner in Ironton, Mo., after a failed restaurant attempt in Cape Girardeau, is closed and empty, and the property is for sale.

The tavern-like building was bustling with last-minute preparations the day it opened Jan. 17. But the hype of a new restaurant in the town of about 1,500 people turned out to be short-lived.

The restaurant closed after Valentine's Day, according to Paul Stephens, who did some construction work for Buckner before its opening. His girlfriend also worked for Buckner as a cook at the restaurant.

There's not much left of the restaurant that was open about one month -- its website has been taken down along with its Facebook page, and all the restaurant equipment and furniture have been sold, Stephens said.

It is not clear where Buckner is living.

John Buckner stands next to the old Esquire Theater on Dec. 28, 2011, on Broadway in Cape Girardeau. (Laura Simon)

The building is listed with an Ironton real estate company for $325,000.

Buckner made a splash in October 2011 in Cape Girardeau when it was announced during a news conference -- with support from civic, business and city government leaders -- that he and his company, Broadway Esquire Entertainment Group LLC, would purchase the historic Esquire Theater at 824 Broadway from owner Phil Brinson.

Buckner spoke of a $2.7 million renovation to open an independent film house on Jan. 21, 2013, the 55th anniversary of the theater's opening.

It later was learned Buckner never bought the Esquire Theater from Brinson, nor did he secure film rights for the theater or recruit private investors, all of which he had claimed in newspaper reports.

Rosemary Henderson, the previous owner of Grant's Inn, volunteered her assistance during the restaurant's reopening to help it go smoothly.

Henderson on Thursday said she was not immediately notified of the restaurant's closing. Word got around and she checked the restaurant's website, and it was down.

"I haven't talked to them since they closed. I have no idea what's going on," and neither does anyone else in town, she said.

Henderson said she's not sure why things turned out the way they had, but it's unfortunate because Buckner put a lot of money into the building to fix it up.

"It makes me sad, because I was really hopeful that they were going to succeed there," she said.

Stephens said he heard Buckner's partner in the business endeavor, who also was the restaurant's general manager, was angry about how Buckner did business.

"John wasn't honest with him as a partner," Stephens said Monday.

When contacted by the Southeast Missourian on Thursday, Buckner's former business partner said he was advised by his lawyer not to speak to anyone on the matter for the time being.

During his stint in Cape Girardeau from late 2011 to early 2012, Buckner became business partners with New Orleans artist Karen Eustis, and he managed Eustis Studio at 1606 Independence St. in Cape Girardeau, which featured her artwork.

Tensions rose between the two, and Eustis dissolved the business relationship and had her art returned to her. After the fallout, Buckner changed the studio's name to Broadway Gallery and Framing. The art gallery was vacant by September 2012.

Stephens spoke of bad checks Buckner issued to restaurant employees and contractors, himself being one. Though Stephens eventually received his money, a few others have not been as lucky, he said.

"I'm not sure John had any money," he said.

According to an article in The Mountain ECHO newspaper of Ironton, former restaurant employees complained they had not received their last paychecks and were informed of a "temporary closing" of Grant's Inn through a Facebook message.

The post said patio and kitchen renovations would take months and the restaurant would reopen in the summer. Then a realty sign appeared in front of the building.

A restaurant in Cape Girardeau also opened by Buckner suffered the same fate as Grant's Inn.

In January 2012, Broadway Esquire Entertainment Group LLC, announced plans to open a restaurant in the building that once housed Mollie's restaurant at 11 S. Spanish St. in Cape Girardeau. The restaurant, Razing Cain, was open for three weeks in March.

After the business failed, Buckner told the Southeast Missourian that opening the restaurant was a "huge" mistake.

"I don't know why I opened that damned restaurant, if you want to know the truth," Buckner said in the interview. "I don't know why I did it."

He went on to say he wasn't a business person and that he left financial messes for others to clean up.

Buckner's plans in Cape Girardeau came to a halt, and he left town.

According to records from the Cape Girardeau County recorder of deeds office, as of January, Broadway Esquire Entertainment Group LLC owed more than $64,000 in tax liens in the county.

Buckner did not return a call made to a number associated with him, and he did not respond to a message on Facebook.

ashedd@semissourian.com

388-3632

Pertinent address:

Ironton, MO