Margaritas Cafe in Port Jefferson Station Says They Are Waiting on OK From Brookhaven Town to Reopen
When Margaritas Cafe in Port Jefferson Station closed its doors months ago people wondered if they would ever reopen. Signs in the window said the restaurant was remodeling but as customers pointed out, no work seemed to be getting done and the place remained dark. Speculation grew that Margaritas Cafe was closed for good.
That does not seem to be the case, according to a representative of the restaurant group that owns Margaritas Cafe as well as The Cuban and Azucar, a new restaurant planned for Massapequa.
“It’s not closed for good,” said Al Vila, director of operations for the restaurant group.
Margaritas Cafe is located in the Port Jefferson Commons shopping center off of Route 347 in Port Jefferson Station. Signs say that the location was temporarily closed. There are eight other locations of the restaurant.
Vila said that the spot was shut down by Brookhaven Town Fire Marshals due to work that needed to be done to bring it up to code. The work, he said, was needed even before Margaritas Cafe ever occupied the space.
We reached out to the Brookhaven Town Fire Marshal’s department who said they had been warning the owners that the restaurant was out of code for two years before they decided to step in and shut them down. Plans were submitted to the town on December 27th but they were denied at the time.
According to Vila, the needed repairs are now done and plans were re-submitted at the Brookhaven Town Fire Marshal’s office last week, on February 27th.
“We’re waiting on the fire marshal inspection for final approval,” he said.
Vila was hopeful that the inspection would be done in the next week or so but wasn’t sure of an exact date.
In response, the Brookhaven Town Fire Marshal said they do not have updated plans from Margarita Cafe and the last communication with the restaurant was on December 27th after denying their plan.
Vila said that everyone is waiting, the community and employees.
“It’s been seven months,” he said. “We want to reopen again.”
We will update this story as more information becomes available.
