Joe Tiago, deputy director of Public Facilities for Bridgeport, has closed his Downtown bar after a series of shootings and fights the past few years near the establishment including an altercation on Saturday. Tiago announced the following on the bar’s Facebook page:
Due to recent unfortunate situations we are announcing the close of tiagos bar and grill temporarily. We had a great run for 8 years and thank all of our loyal customers for their business over the years.
Tiago told the Connecticut Post he’s reassessing his brand for a possible return. See story here.
“Tiago’s has become a punching bag,” the owner said. “It’s too easy to associate any shooting or violence downtown and just stick Tiago’s name to it … The situations that have happened outside–the situations at McLevy Green–I think I was dragged into that and I don’t feel those were my customers.”
Downtown is making a comeback with new restaurants, housing and entertainment venues. Tiago’s, located on State Street across from McLevy Green, became a flashpoint of late-night violence. This is also an election year for Mayor Joe Ganim so some city officials are also concerned about the potential fallout the Tiago incidents would have on the campaign. Tiago was hired by Public Facilities during the Bill Finch administration. After Ganim reclaimed the mayoralty in 2015, he installed John Ricci as Public Facilities chief. Ricci elevated Tiago to deputy director.
The department oversees sanitation, snow plowing, street paving, parks, the airport and engineering departments.
The department has also been embroiled in an off-the-books scrap metal controversy. From October 2016 through this past October, employees with the city’s Public Facilities Department sold nearly $35,500 worth of scrap metal, according to documents recently obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media.
This place was too violent they had no control. I am so happy it closed. They need to do more than rebrand. They need more security. Glad they are doing the right thing by closing.
“It’s too easy to associate any shooting or violence downtown and just stick Tiago’s name to it… ” Hey man, them’s the breaks. There are a couple of locations in Black Rock that have been stained by past violence including shootings. You really ought to move the business. Downtown ain’t the wild west but it is nearly as lawless.
The Finch and Ganim administrations have paid only lip service to improving the downtown area. An amphitheater? That’s cool. Gonna be a long time and many greased palms before that is willed into reality. A casino? Forget about it. Ain’t gonna happen, not in a million years. Hockey rinks? Yeah right.
Them’s the breaks if you want to run a gin-mill downtown without proper security at special events. That why most business that are downtown fold in an average of 5 yrs; Tiago’s lucky to have lasted as long as they did. Downtown Bpt. turns into a ghost town after 6pm in fall & winter & 8pm in spring & summer. Add the high rents & taxes & you got what you’ve seen the last 40 yrs. (a ghost- town).
Mojo ………. Where’d you go?????
Welcome back Mojo
*** Thanks, Happy New Year! “I know what would work downtown Bpt. another holy-rolly tax deferred peoples church”, no? ***
Mojo, are you out of the witness protection program now because I’ve seen or heard from you on OIB. In fact Joel has been MIA, I mention this because of Andy Fardy, hey, we all don’t have to agree on everything but Mojo you and I will talk.
SAW THIS COMING A MILE AWAY………CLUB SCENES LEAD TO TROUBLE UNFORTUNATELY
8 yrs is a great run
Do we assume that the expenses of keeping this “downtown location” open, became greater than the revenues coming to owners of Tiago’s? One of the major, if not the primary purpose of a business is to earn a profit. Expenses greater than revenues? For sure.
What happens when revenues from City assets (scrap metal from demolition, etc.) is not directed as a revenue flow to the City, but rather spent by others without specific authority?? Can a taxpayer say: “I quit. This City deal is unprofitable for me.” Has Ganim or Flatto ever said to the taxpayer: “You may be sure that we can account for all funds where City employees are in charge!!” And if the City can account for all revenues, why can they not or do they not actually report them regularly for all to see? And if it is millions that we are talking about then let’s check with the auditors and find out where the “action” is actually reported? Time will tell.
Excuuuuse me. Every time I go to Downtown Bridgeport,it is a ghost town. At lunch time,there is very little pedestrian traffic and the restaurants are empty. I have no desire to go to Downtown BPT for various reasons. Nothing is interesting to me and there is still the question of public safety. “Downtown is making a comeback with new restaurants, housing and entertainment venues. ” I am sorry but will take issue with that. I may have a specific and particular situation,by living in Black Rock,that I may find it easier to drive into Fairfield(5 minutes),find an easy parking spot,have a huge choices of food and entertainment,walk back to my car and drive home within 5 minutes. Downtown BPT remains “off limits’ to me. NO THANK YOU. I take enough meds for anxiety. I don’t need to add the additional anxiety of Downtown BPT. BTW,I remember going to Downtown BPT with my mother,driving around ,going to The Lafayette Plaza. I have two sisters who worked downtown in the mall/restaurant. I remember my mother driving up and down East Main Street with Skydel’s etc. So I am quite familiar with the Bridgeport of the 1960’s.
Like I have said many times,there is more traffic on Fairfield Avenue in Black Rock than ALL the traffic in Downtown BPT.
Ain’t that the truth. If the mayor’s office wasn’t controlled by a puppeteer then maybe, just maybe downtown would be booming again.
Good ridence if you ask me. This bar has been nothing but trouble for DT Bport.
If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck it’s a duck or in this case a dog.
After a number of shootings and commotions and what have you, Nows the time to pull the plug on this Bucking Bronco and move on.
Let’s just cut to the quick. The problem with Tiago’s Restaurant is Is Joe Tiago himself. Joe Tiago himself brought that “crowd” to his place. You can re-brand but Tiago’s “friends” will still congregate wherever and whatever Joe Tiago does. There has to be a real,legitimate reason why Tiago’s Restaurant drew the crowd that it did. Doe anyone have any info why Tiago’s Restaurant drew that specific crowd.
Frank, I used to go to Tiago’s it used to be a nice spot but then after a while the crowd just grew out of hand. It was more so the type of people who go there. I did like it but it needed to have closed. It shouldn’t be in the downtown district. Maybe somewhere else in the city but it needs to be more controlled.
Did you read the CT Post this AM? Did you see that 52 new businesses settled in Fairfield last year. (Of course, one or more failed as well, but the amount of interest and variety of businesses keep that commercial real estate market vibrant.) After almost 50 years of locating my business office in Fairfield, I did the contrarian thing and relocated from Post Road Fairfield to Fairfield Avenue in the Bijou building on Fairfield Avenue. I come to my office daily and often for a few hours on weekends, too. I have come to know small business owners with a variety of backgrounds attempting to carve out and serve a continuing clientele for food/drink, specialty products-retail, and business and professional offices serving individuals and other business persons.
I do not see what a few others report regarding reasons to be fearful. The Post also reports the decrease in crime rate during the Malloy years. Do we pay attention to crime statistics or call for them to be regularly reported? Or do we tolerate an emotional, and perhaps very expensive fear response to justify current approaches to public safety? Do we know the cost of new technology to our public safety system?? And the rewards that must be derived to justify those expenses? Or do we ignore the expenses, initial and annual thereafter, and fail to look at trends and results while the equipment is in use? Where is the public discussion about the use of video locations in the community, the practices of what gets televised by cameras worn by police officers and when, actual neighborhood “policing” operations ongoing such that communities know their officers and vice versa, especially the youth?? What happens when grants run out? What case by case results can be studied to see if the expense of the technology is worth continuation? Time will tell.
JML,
Driving through downtown during business hours is a much different experience than the night time.
Kid,
I understand your point about “driving through” . But what if you stop your car, get out and visit Miss Thelma’s, a churruscura site in the Hollow, Dolphin Cove in the East End, several Bijou Square sites including avuchella, Bagel King, Joseph’s and Fruta Juice, the island vegetarian site at Main and Capitol or Wood’s End Deli for great and varied soups and sandwiches, as examples of variety during the day or the dinner hour? You are welcomed warmly. The offerings are reasonably priced and more diverse than in many local suburbs. Live life bravely and with zest. To become old with no personal stories to relate would be a shame, wouldn’t it? Time will tell.
Mr. Tiago can’t blame his misfortunes on the ‘hood. He allowed that element to patronize the establishment.
JML..MOST RESPECTFULLY…did the cost of rent play any role or did he decide to “make a statement” by relocating to Downtown BPT. BTW,you have been most kind and invited me to your BPT office and I found it to be a positive experience.(except for the meters).
Why not trying to re-brand it into a family friendly restaurant. The used to be a lot of family / mob owned bars downtown.
I’ve never felt threatened or scared to go downtown to any restaurant or club nor have I ever witnessed a violent episode. Having said, I Regularly frequent every bar on the East End approximately six and have never seen the type of violence that was displayed at Tiagos and one can rest assured if they had, they would have never been allowed to continue unabated. Different strokes for Different folks.
It ain’t downtown as a whole, Mr. Donald. It is the element Tiago allowed to fester in his joint.
DB, no doubt the problem was a very lax atmosphere, no accountability on behalf of the owner and no adequate security. My point was more like in a neighborhood that many deemed dangerous, in Black owned bars this don’t happen and if it did, those bars wouldn’t get an eight year pass.
This is a shame and blow to the downtown scene. TIAGO”S has been for years one of the most frequented and happening clubs downtown drawing a diverse crowd. It is a shame that so many on this blog just join the bandwagon of haters. If 2 people that have posted on this post have been to this club more than once I’d be shocked.
No question, there should have been security. At 2 am the Merritt canteen has O/T police officers on a Saturday Night / Sunday morning. Even the Bridgeport Police should have been regularly visible downtown knowing the city has really attempted to make the Downtown an Entertainment Destination. Tiago’s for 8 years has been one of the most successful downtown venues.
The Connecticut Post has down an awful job attempting to promote the city. Even suggesting there was a problem by Tiago’s you have hurt the Comedy Club and the Harlan Haus.
I do hope Joe Tiago has not given up on his business venture. 8 years is a lot of time and money invested in the Downtown area and one of the survivors.
I am only responding because I can not believe all of the negative bullshit trash on this blog knowing damn well most have never supported this venue. On the other hand , in the real world Tiago’s was very popular and it is also surprising to me that people are not supporting him. Perhaps they have just stop reading this blog. If any investor read this blog they’d run the other way and that is what has happened . Very sad indeed.
Happy New years to all and I hope that Joe Tiago will not give up on Downtown.
Steve,
You’re full of shit. Tiago’s was allowed to operate because the politically connected frequented the joint. He is employed by the city. Of course Little Joe and A.J. the man servant looked the other way. The Stress Factory and Harlan Haus do not cater to the criminal classes. The owners of those establishments are no doubt happy to know Tiago’s is no longer staining the McLevy Green area.
“Tiago’s for 8 years has been one of the most successful downtown venues. ” You are delusional. Tiago’s was successful because they allowed every mook south of Iranistan Avenue to drink there.
Hi Steve…good to hear from you. I’m sorry but every time I go Downtown it is a ghost town. I’ve never been interested in the cluster of activity around Public Works Employee/Owned business of Joe Tiago. Downtown Bridgeport needs a game-changer. and we are not getting that from City Hall or the Annex. I would love to go to Harlan Haus because I am of East-European background and the menu is right up my alley. I’m sorry but there are still too many negatives outweighing any positives about Downtown BPT. Like I’ve said before, I remember going through Downtown BPT/East Main Street with my mother driving and it’s a completely different feel.
You’re absolutely correct Derek, Tiagos was allowed to continue to operate because he was politically connected. No other bar in Bridgeport would be allowed to continue with the problems that Tiagos bought with it, NONE.