La Paloma looks to fill space left by Poppy Kitchen

The Westin La Paloma is talking with local and regional restaurant groups to fill the space left by the Aug. 28 closure of Poppy Kitchen.

The resort is closing in on a concept that will replace the 3,000-square-foot space. General manager Glenn Sampert says it expects to make an announcement within 30 days.

“We would like to have an Arizona Southwest presence here at the resort,” said Sampert.

Poppy Kitchen staff notified La Paloma of the restaurant’s closure Friday before scheduled dinner service.

Sampert said he was not able to comment on whether rent had gone unpaid.

“We were very disappointed as well to learn that they weren’t going to open for business on Friday,” Sampert said. “Poppy Kitchen was a great restaurant, and we were really sorry to see them go.”

Poppy Kitchen was the last remaining venture for Tucson restaurateur Brian Metzger, who in the past two years saw the closure of all five of his restaurants.

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His first restaurant, Jax Kitchen, filed for bankruptcy in August 2013, followed by The Abbey in May 2014. Metzger himself filed for personal Chapter 7 bankruptcy in June.

Metzger did not respond to several requests for comment.

Also in June, Plaza Palomino at 2900 N. Swan Road filed a breach of contract suit against Metzger’s Jackson Tavern, seeking more than $58,000 in unpaid rent and related costs. In its suit, WCCP Plaza Palomino LLC also seeks to recover $260,680 it says it spent on building improvements for the tavern.

Metzger had been largely absent from day-to-day operations at Poppy Kitchen since May, when he transferred managerial responsibilities to operations director Josh Proctor and Executive Chef Gary Hickey. Since the closing, Proctor and Hickey have been working to relocate all of the restaurant’s 25 employees and ensure they will receive their last paycheck Friday, Proctor said.

Metzger’s attorney in his personal bankruptcy case, Scott Gibson, chalks the latest closure up to the economic circumstances of the Tucson restaurant scene.

“My last count was 25 restaurants that have closed in Tucson since January,” he said. “They just aren’t generating the income that’s necessary to keep the doors open.”