Pickwick restaurant sale has a few more hurdles

Memorial Day is traditionally considered the kickoff of Duluth's tourism season. We've now entered prime time for many local bars and restaurants, but one business is notably missing from the local scene this year -- the Pickwick.

The 96-year-old bar and restaurant temporarily closed its doors April 17 to allow for a change of ownership and some remodeling. Tim and Amy Wright of Duluth were tentatively slated to close on the property April 19.

That date has long come and gone with no sale recorded.

Nevertheless, Tim Wright remains upbeat.

"We're confident it will go through," he said. "We're just waiting on some final paperwork and for the bank to say OK."

Wright maintains he's ready to roll as soon as he gets the go-ahead from his lender. "It's totally up to the bank right now," he said.

With fresh memories of the recession, lenders nationwide have exercised greater caution in making business loans lately, and Wright said he underestimated the time it would take to put together the financing he needs to complete his acquisition of the Pickwick.

"We expect to close within the next two to three weeks, if not sooner," he said. "But I probably would have told you the same thing two to three weeks ago."

Further complicating the sale are a couple of state tax liens against Pickwick Inc. totaling more than $82,000. These liens are related to unpaid withholding, sales and use taxes dating back to December. These claims will need to be settled before any sale of the business can occur.

If and when the Wrights complete their purchase of the Pickwick, it will mark the end of the Wisocki family's ownership of the restaurant, which they have run since 1914.

Chris Wisocki, the Pick­wick's current owner, could not be reached for comment.

In an interview earlier this year, he said: "It's just a business decision I made. I'm going to explore other career options."

Over the past year, Wisocki repeatedly clashed with Workers United Local 99, which represented most of the 65 people who were employed at the Pickwick. Members of the union set up a picket outside the restaurant for two weeks last year, after Wisocki attempted to impose a new contract on workers. Wisocki also temporarily took away the work hours of two employees who participated in the picket, leading to an unfair labor practices complaint.

Todd Erickson, president of Workers United Local 99, said he's optimistic that if the Wrights complete their purchase of the restaurant, improved relations may follow.

"I hope that Tim and Amy (Wright) will do well by the Pickwick's long-term union employees and that they will understand the value of a good working relationship with union," Erickson said. "I look forward to working with them."

It remains to be seen whether the Pickwick will remain a union restaurant. If more than half the restaurant's staff continues to be former employees who were represented by Workers United, the new ownership will be required to recognize a continued role for the union.

But Erickson said that the longer the restaurant stays closed, the harder it will be for former Pickwick staffers to wait for rehiring.

"The sad truth is that many of the workers who were on unemployment have had to move on," he said.

Wright said he's eager to reopen the Pickwick's doors, but he must complete his acquisition of the restaurant first.

"Obviously, it would be nice to be open by the Fourth of July, but that probably won't happen now," he said.