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.

In January, the Zackrisons filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection under Agrario LLC and Bodega LLC. Eric Zackrison said he recently learned that the building – owned by him and his wife – were not included as an asset 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. “We are going to include the buildings in our bankruptcy filings so it stops the foreclosure and halts the sale.”

The building is 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.

The Zackrisons opened Agrario in October 2002. 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.

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.

See SBJ’s June 25 issue for more on this story.