With its public sexcapades and drunken, disorderly crowds, the raucous Montauk party scene has been a hot topic over the past couple of year. One of the main staples, The Sloppy Tuna, recently announced that it will not be returning to its previous spot at 148 South Emerson this year.
“The Sloppy Tuna as you and we know it will unfortunately not be opening at the same location in Montauk this summer – due to some sudden and unforeseen chaos and back room politics,” Drew Doscher, an owner of The Sloppy Tuna, said in a Facebook post. In early March, a judge ordered a court-appointed Temporary Receiver to take immediate control over the management and authority over the day-to-day duties and fiscal control of 148 South Emerson Associates, LLC.
“The Riverhead Supreme Court exercised the most extreme, extraordinary and drastic relief possible against a very successful business that provides hundreds of jobs,” Doscher said about the decision. “That ruling concerns all business owners in the state of New York.”
Doscher said the Montauk hotspot was a tourist destination that helped boost the area’s economy. “The Sloppy Tuna has had a great economic impact upon Montauk and tourism,” he noted. “So much so that the East Hampton Town Supervisor touted it as ‘One of the Four Economic Engines of Montauk,’ justifying government funding from Gov. Cuomo to the region.”
Afraid you won’t be able to “drop a t” this summer? No need to worry as Doscher expects to open the famed restaurant and bar in a different location this summer. “We will definitely be popping up somewhere soon – keep your eyes and ears open in the next few weeks for what’s to come next for The Sloppy Tuna,” he noted.
Update: The drama in Montauk continues as court-appointed receiver, Charles C. Russo, sent a letter to Drew Doscher’s lawyer who states Mr. Doscher must cease and desist “any current use, and refrain from any future use, of the name ‘The Sloppy Tuna'” until lawsuits are resolved. He also noted that The Sloppy Tuna will be back at the same seaside Montauk venue this summer under new management and that Montauk location will be the sole Tuna out there.
I guess we’ll have to wait until the summer to see how this plays out.