WASHINGTON TWP. EATERY TO CLOSE FOR GOOD JULY 2
The nationally acclaimed chef/ co-owner of Bar Dumaine (formerly Rue Dumaine) in Washington Twp. announced Friday morning that the restaurant will shut down after serving its final meals on July 2.
“Sadly, due to circumstances beyond our control, Bar Dumaine, Rue Dumaine and Anne Kearney will serve our last meals at 1061 Miamisburg-Centerville Road on July 2, 2017,” Kearney wrote in an email to her customers.
The restaurant will remain open for lunch and dinner daily until July 2, and Kearney urged her customers to “Help me to say goodbye to this fine establishment by showing us your support as we ‘ride the wave to the shore.’”
“The details of our demise are known to many, but ultimately we have run the course of our lease and were unable to come to a mutually-agreed-upon resolution in order for us to stay at this location,” Kearney wrote.
Kearney suggested she will look to return to the local dining scene with a successor restaurant — but not right away.
“Yes, my heart is broken. I will somehow find a way to mend and I hope in my efforts, I will be able to create a space for you to join me again for a great dining experience,” Kearney wrote. “I will keep all of you posted on when and where this journey takes me next and ultimately how I intend to get myself back to Dayton so I am able to feed you once again.”
But until then, Kearney said, “I will likely take a respite from the owner/operator world to delve, discover and develop new culinary related skills.”
Kearney and her husband, Tom Sand, both of whom grew up in the Dayton area, opened Rue Dumaine in 2007. It changed its name to Bar Dumaine, expanded its hours and tweaked its concept in February 2017.
“During the past 10 years, I have grown to love my hometown of Dayton with greater appreciation,” Kearney wrote. “The quality of people that have become part of the (Rue Dumaine and Bar Dumaine) crew has been pleasing for this childless woman.
“The farming community that has collaborated with me to bring quality, locally grown products to the table has been a rewarding experience, I am blessed for their efforts, I will miss those relationships.
“Our guests, you will not be forgotten; some of you I truly consider family. I have come to know many of you beyond a name and a face.”
The terms of Rue Dumaine’s lease were the driving force behind the decision in spring of 2016 to scale back the restaurant’s hours and reduce costs.
The restaurant signed a 10-year lease in 2007 that called for Rue Dumaine to be responsible for paying any increase in property taxes that occurred during the life of the lease, Kearney said at the time. A decision by the Montgomery County Board of Revision following re-evaluation of the retail center greatly increased the assessed value of the property, which in turn triggered a property tax increase that cost Rue Dumaine more than 70 percent more in taxes each year, Kearney said.
“Despite my efforts and the efforts of many to find the right place to relocate, we have come up empty-handed,” Kearney wrote today. “This leaves me with 34 employees and a restaurant full of quality equipment and amenities to find new homes for (including that beautiful bar and wine cellar). If you or anyone you know are interested in anything you see or use during your dining experience at BD, please reach out to me. It all needs a new home. (Contact me at) anne@taskhg.com.”
Kearney is the Dayton area’s most highly credentialed chef, based on her recognition by the James Beard Foundation, whose awards are regarded as the nation’s most prestigious recognition program for the food and beverage business.