Owners of downtown’s Agrario face foreclosure

Eric and Julie Zackrison have defaulted on a $1.3 million loan from First Home Savings Bank for the restaurant and upstairs Bodega Bar at 311 S. Patton Ave.

The Zackrisons opened Agrario in October 2002 after a $300,000 renovation to the 145-year-old building that once housed a livery stable.

The restaurant building will be sold at public auction June 27 on the steps of the Greene County Courthouse, 940 Boonville Ave., according to a notice published earlier this month in The Daily Events. Eric Zackrison said he is in negotiations with the bank and would be able to comment further later this week.

The Zackrisons filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Jan. 23 under Agrario LLC and Bodega LLC.

Zackrison owns four downtown dining establishments, all on South Patton Avenue: Agrario and Bodega Bar under the Agrario LLC banner, Patton Alley Pub under the Bodega LLC banner and Hickok’s Steakhouse & Brewery Inc., co-owned with downtown developer Scott Tillman. Since opening Agrario, Zackrison has amassed at least $200,000 in debt, according to court filings.

Patton Alley Pub, a casual place for burgers and beer, is included in the bankruptcy filing because it’s been financially supporting Agrario, Zackrison told Springfield Business Journal in February.

Zackrison told SBJ that Agrario, where a dinner guest spends $35 on average, is struggling because people who can afford to eat there regularly don’t come downtown on weeknights. Zackrison said he planned to move Agrario to the south or east part of Springfield by the year’s end, keeping his other establishments downtown.

Zackrison originally had until May 23 to file his Chapter 11 reorganization plan, but a federal judge granted him an extension to June 25 for additional time to finalize projections, according to court records.