Gjinovefa “Gina” Luari, founder of The Place 2 Be restaurants, was arrested by East Hartford police Wednesday in the latest setback for a restaurateur once celebrated for her social media savvy and rapid expansion.
Police responded to a complaint that 33-year-old Luari had purchased $10,821 worth of equipment from Restaurant Paradise in East Hartford with a check tied to a closed bank account with insufficient funds, according to a release by East Hartford police. After an investigation, police charged Luari, of West Hartford, with issuing a bad check and larceny in the second degree, according to police.
Luari was released on a $10,000 bond.
Attempts to reach Luari and her attorney were not immediately successful Thursday.
Wednesday’s arrest was the latest in a string of bad news for Luari, whose clever use of social media and hip décor had once made her Place 2 Be restaurants a hot spot in Hartford and West Hartford.
At least two of Lauri’s restaurant locations were closed earlier this year following suspension of the locations’ sales tax permits by the Department of Revenue Services. On Friday, the Department of Revenue reported that Lauri’s restaurant locations now have valid permits, with the exception of her RAW seafood bar at 280 Trumbull St.
The Place 2 Be had a location in New Haven, and another in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, which had previously closed, according to reports.
Luari, founder and CEO of The Statement Group, parent company of The Place 2 Be, had faced several eviction proceedings and lawsuits from landlords alleging unpaid rent across multiple locations.
