Zackrison to close Agrario for Blue Plate Bar

Zackrison and wife Julie are facing foreclosure after defaulting on a $1.3 million loan from First Home Savings Bank for Agrario and upstairs Bodega Bar at 311 S. Patton Ave. and Patton Alley Pub at 313 S. Patton Ave.

In January, the Zackrisons filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection under Agrario LLC and Bodega LLC. Eric Zackrison said he recently learned that the buildings – owned by him and his wife – were not included as assets of Agrario LLC in the bankruptcy case.

“I had assumed they were in Agrario’s name,” Zackrison said, citing requirements for a U.S. Small Business Administration loan. They now plan to include the buildings in bankruptcy filings in an effort to stop foreclosure.

The buildings were scheduled to be sold at public auction June 27 on the steps of the Greene County Courthouse, 940 Boonville Ave., according to a published legal notice.

Zackrison said he will close Agrario at the end of business June 30 and revive the space as Blue Plate, which will likely open its doors the second weekend in July.

The restaurant will offer a “relaxed, fun atmosphere” and will serve lunch and dinner seven days a week, with brunch on Saturday and Sunday, Zackrison said. At night, Blue Plate will feature live music to attract the late-night college crowd, he said.

“I really like this concept, and I think it’s going to be great downtown,” Zackrison said. “Is it my ideal way to get to where we want to go? No, but I think it’s going to work really well.”

Zackrison said that closing Agrario will allow him to refocus on catering, which will be handled by two full-time employees. “We can do absolutely anything,” he said of the catered cuisine offerings.

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

Eric Zackrison also owns Patton Alley Pub, known for its burgers and beer, under the Bodega LLC banner, which will be extended to include the bar above Blue Plate. Zackrison and his wife are minority shareholders of Hickok’s Steakhouse & Brewery Inc. Hickok’s majority owner, downtown developer Scott Tillman, said in an e-mail that he’s not associated with any of Zackrison’s other restaurants.

Patton Alley Pub, 313 S. Patton Ave., is included in the bankruptcy filing because it’s been financially supporting Agrario, Zackrison told Springfield Business Journal in February. Since opening Agrario, Zackrison has amassed at least $200,000 in debt, according to court filings.

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 still plans to reopen Agrario on Springfield’s south or east side by the year’s end with assistance from private investors.

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. He said the plan should be filed soon.