Shogun Japanese Restaurant in Presque Isle, a hibachi steakhouse and sushi bar that opened in January, has been closed by Maine Revenue Services.
A sign posted on the doors of the restaurant earlier this week says that “the seller’s registration certificate of this establishment has been revoked” for noncompliance with a state statute that governs the registration of retailers.
It was still on the door Tuesday and was accompanied by an envelope addressed to Dana Cassidy, the owner of both Shogun and the multipurpose building it’s housed in.
The restaurant has typically closed Monday through Wednesday in recent months, so the closure by the state has not yet impacted business.
A second sign, scrawled in marker and taped on the doors next to the notice, declares that the restaurant will reopen on Thursday.
Reached by phone Tuesday afternoon, Cassidy said that the issue stems from the restaurant’s previous owner and is “being resolved right now.”
The state of Maine has filed no current tax liens against Cassidy, according to public tax records.
Earlier this month, a liquor license application filed by Cassidy for Shogun came before the Presque Isle City Council. The restaurant had previously been operating on a temporary license, City Clerk Kim Finnemore said.
Councilors approved the permit, but under the stipulation that Cassidy had to first pay more than $37,000 in unpaid 2024 and 2023 property taxes on the multipurpose building at 150 Maysville St. — dubbed the “Cassidy Compound” — that Shogun operates in.
Records show that Cassidy paid those taxes in the week that followed that decision, and both tax liens filed against him by the city were discharged on Sept. 8.
The restaurant passed health inspections in January and March.
