After decades of operation, the owner of a well-liked tavern in Nantucket Harbor is being forced to close it because the landlords won’t extend the lease.
At the age of 26, Luke Tedeschi started working at The Tavern & Gazebo in 1993. By 2022, he had risen to the position of sole proprietor.
For 34 years, his famous waterfront tavern has attracted people with its well-liked beverages, such as mudslides, a chocolate drink with vodka added.
“You know, that’s the way that term leases are, but after all these years, I brought the mudslide to the Gazebo back in 1993, and this will be the last year of my formula and my mudslide as we’ve all got to know it, to enjoy it, and it’s become iconic,” Tedeschi told the Nantucket Current. The bar site is owned by Steve Karp’s Nantucket Island Resorts (NIR).
At the start of the season in early May, the Gazebo started hanging a little banner that said, “Last Year Of The Gazebo Mudslide 1993-2026.”
Residents of Nantucket, including Dave Portnoy, the creator of Barstool Sports, have expressed their anger over the closure online, calling it “sucks.”
‘Kicking out Luke & the Tavern/Gazebo is the reverse of what you should be doing, NIR, if we’re attempting to retain the originality of Nantucket,’ a resident commented on Instagram.
Luke Tedeschi, who has been running The Tavern & Gazebo in Nantucket, Massachusetts, for over 34 years
Tedeschi informed the Nantucket Current that Steve Karp’s Nantucket Island Resorts, his landlord, did not give him the chance to extend his lease.
“This is DISGUSTING. Shame on your NIR,” said another.
“All my homies hate Steve Karp & NIR,” remarked a third.
In response to the decision not to extend a new lease to Tedeschi, NIR’s director of retail, Henry Wyner, wrote to the Current, “We are always thoughtful about cultivating a mix of restaurants and retailers that best serve the local community and its visitors, even though we cannot comment on the specifics of any lease agreements.”Our top goal is to promote an experience that feels genuine and representative of the community since we acknowledge the significant contribution both established businesses and more recent ones make to the island’s culture.
In order to keep the company operating beyond his mid-60s, Tedeschi stated he was seeking to get a five-year lease extension.
He stated, “I wanted to have a five-year plan for myself, but that was shortened rather abruptly.”
“The truth is, I would have preferred to have run it myself if I had been given an additional five years.”
After Tedeschi created his own version of the Mudslide, a spiked chocolate cocktail, the gazebo became well-known for it.
The situation “sucks,” according to Nantucket resident Dave Portnoy. “I always thought about how I could bring on a partner or partnerships or at least have something of value to head into retirement for, but again, as life is, things get often abruptly announced, and you don’t have a say in where tomorrow’s going to bring us.”
Tedeschi told the magazine that although leaving the Gazebo hurts, he is not pouting since he knows it’s just business.
He went on to say that he has no regrets about his business and hopes that people will visit to take in his mudslides one final summer.
Tedeschi told the Current, “It’s been a good, long ride and I just appreciate all of the support that I’ve gotten over the years and even the support that I know is out there right now. But everything is going to be alright.” We appreciate everyone who has expressed interest in the story; it has been an enjoyable journey. I’m happy that we have some memories from the Tavern, the mudslide, and the Gazebo.
Nantucket Island Resorts has been contacted by The Daily Mail for comment.
