The Place 2 Be in West Hartford was closed on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 due to suspension of its Sales and Use Tax permit.

Screenshot from Facebook of Sales and Use Tax Permit suspension at The Place 2 Be, 50 Memorial Road, West Hartford

By Ronni Newton

The West Hartford location of The Place to Be, located at 50 Memorial Road in Blue Back Square, is one of multiple restaurants owned by The Statement Group that was not permitted to operate as of  12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, due to suspension of the Sales and Use Tax permit by Connecticut’s Department of Revenue Services.

Not only does The Place 2 Be have unpaid taxes for its West Hartford location that resulted in the action by DRS, but the business has also been embroiled in litigation with its West Hartford landlord, Blue Back Capital Partners LLC, regarding payment of rent. The most recent action, dated Aug. 4, 2025 and agreed to through mediation, is a Final Stay of Execution through March 31, 2026, provided on-time payment of an agreed-to sum for use and occupancy of the premises is made via wire transfer. The agreement states that if payments are not made as specified, the landlord is permitted to file an affidavit “requesting an execution without additional court hearings.”

The Place 2 Be at 50 Memorial Road in Blue Back Square is currently closed. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The Blue Back Square location of The Place 2 Be was also required to close earlier this summer due to a health code violation, that was also a violation of lease terms. “The existence of a severe cockroach infestation at the Premises is a violation of the former lease agreement and 2022 FDA Food Code §6-501.111,” stated an affidavit filed with the court dated July 11, 2025. The West Hartford-Bloomfield Health District had temporarily suspended the establishment’s food license on July 1, 2025.

We-Ha.com requested comment from Gina Luari, CEO of The Statement Group and The Place 2 Be, regarding any plans to resolve the current suspension and reopen for business. No response has been received as of the time of publication.

The Place 2 Be first opened its Blue Back Square location in June 2021, a self-described “boujie” version and expansion from its original Hartford all-day breakfast and brunch restaurant that opened in 2016 on Franklin Avenue and a second Hartford location in Constitution Plaza.

The Bakery by TP2B has not yet opened at 69 Memorial Road in West Hartford’s Blue Back Square. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The Statement Group also planned to open another establishment in Blue Back Square, The Bakery by TP2B, in the former SPoT Coffee space at 69 Memorial Road. The Bakery lease was signed in 2023, but although there has been some progress on build-out of the space, the opening plans have been thwarted by a variety of construction delays, as well as ongoing litigation dating back to early 2024 related to rent payment and failure to comply with a contractually-agreed-upon opening date. A hearing is currently scheduled for Aug. 20, 2025.

“While we cannot comment on ongoing legal matters with tenants, our focus remains on providing a high-quality experience for all our guests and patrons at Blue Back Square. We look forward to making new announcements soon,” Blue Back Square spokesperson Kate Terricciano told We-Ha.com when asked for details regarding the matter.

The Connecticut Scoop reported that The Place 2 Be in Constitution Plaza in Hartford, and RAW, another restaurant in Hartford owned by The Statement Group, also had their Sales and Use Tax permits suspended on Tuesday. The Place 2 Be formerly had locations in New Haven as well as in Springfield, MA, that had closed previously.

An initial complaint regarding failure to pay rent was filed by the Constitution Plaza landlord in March 2024, and there has been ongoing litigation regarding rental and payment terms. Unrelated to the DRS action, a non-final stay of execution through Dec. 31, 2025, is currently in place for the Constitution Plaza space.

Luari had recently converted the original Franklin Avenue location into The Bakery by TP2B this spring. According to the Connecticut Scoop, that location did not have a DRS notice on their door as of Wednesday, Aug. 6.

The referenced section of Connecticut General Statute – Section 12-409(f) – regarding the DRS notice states: “Revocation or suspension of permit. Whenever any person fails to comply with any provision of this chapter relating to the sales tax or any regulation of the commissioner relating to the sales tax prescribed and adopted under this chapter, the commissioner, upon hearing, after giving such person ten days’ notice in writing specifying the time and place of hearing and requiring such person to show cause why such person’s permit or permits should not be revoked, may revoke or suspend any one or more of the permits held by the person. The notice may be served personally or by registered or certified mail. The commissioner shall not issue a new permit after the revocation of a permit unless the commissioner is satisfied that the former holder of the permit will comply with the provisions of this chapter relating to the sales tax and the regulations of the commissioner.”

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