The state has temporarily closed two restaurants owned by a Bangor man who appears to owe the state thousands of dollars in liens connected to unspecified tax debts.
Penobscot and Hancock counties have recorded more than a dozen liens that the Maine Department of Labor placed on The Grind House in Bangor and Margaritas Mexican Restaurant in Ellsworth.
David Reesman of Bangor appears to own both restaurants, according to a business database managed by the Department of the Secretary of State.
Reesman did not return requests for comment and no one answered the door when a Bangor Daily News reporter visited his house on Wednesday.
The temporary closure of The Grind House was ordered on May 14 for unspecified tax issues, a spokesperson for Maine Revenue Services confirmed on Wednesday. A notice from the state was posted on the coffee shop’s door on the same day, but the sign wasn’t visible on Wednesday.
The temporary closure of The Grind House was ordered on the same day Margaritas Mexican Restaurant in Ellsworth was closed for the same reason. It’s unclear what this means for the futures of both businesses.
There are several reasons why a registration certificate for a business could be revoked, Sharon Huntley, the Maine Revenue Services spokesperson, said. Huntley cited a portion of state law that outlines when the state tax assessor can revoke a registration certificate.
Huntley did not provide information about how The Grind House was in violation of Maine’s tax laws “due to confidentiality requirements.”
The liens on both businesses are tied to unemployment insurance tax debt, according to Jessica Picard, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Labor. Picard declined to comment on specific unemployment insurance information due to confidentiality.
The liens on the two eateries add up to at least $15,000 and most were issued in 2024 and 2025.
A lien is a court-ordered claim against someone’s property or assets that are placed to ensure a debt is paid.
Reesman opened The Grind House in downtown Bangor in January 2018. The cafe sells sandwiches, salads, breakfasts and coffee, among other options.
The coffee and sandwich shop on the corner of Central and Hammond streets was still closed as of Wednesday.
In 2020, Reesman opened Margaritas on Main Street in Ellsworth. The Mexican chain restaurant has nearly two dozen locations in the Northeast, including five in Maine.
