Johnsons Wilton Manors - 24 hr utility shut off notice

[MrDakota]

It's been widely posted today that Johnsons had several notices on the door that water and gas will be shut off tomorrow 8/19.  without gas and water, I dont think they are able to legally operate until this has been restored.

Anyone want to form and investor group in case there's an opportunity to buy the bar out of bankruptcy?  Wishful thinking....

[brettnyc]

where's daddy warbucks when you need him?

[Rocky93]

So, is it closed for good?😰

[john4112nola]

There are 5 lawsuits currently filed against Pride Holdings in Florida that were filed in the last 6 months.  Perhaps the previous owners of Johnsons can get ownership back and keep the clubs open ???

[+ BOZO T CLOWN]

They owe the City of Wilton Manors $2,105.62. That's not a whole lot of money for a business like Johnsons. Especially, if the consequences of not paying the bill means no water and electricity. On a busy night, they probably gross at least two or three times that amount.
Pride Holdings would be fools not to pay their bill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldhvrrw0ak4

BTC
🤡

[Atlanta_Guy]

1 hour ago, BOZO T CLOWN said:

They owe the City of Wilton Manors $2,105.62. That's not a whole lot of money for a business like Johnsons. Especially, if the consequences of not paying the bill means no water and electricity. On a busy night, they probably gross at least two or three times that amount.
Pride Holdings would be fools not to pay their bill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldhvrrw0ak4

BTC
🤡

Yeh… no big deal.  That’s wishful thinking.   Let me be clear….They are fools/crooks… and that has been well established They  owe $2k to the utilities, $10k to their employees, $20k to their vendors, who knows what in rent… the problem isn’t what Johnson’s makes…. It all of pride holdings bills.  They are behind on everything except probably paying their corporate staff. Eventually, you run out of money to pay your bills when your expenses exceed revenue.  

but the clown says “no big deal”  all is well….nothing to see here.   And when it implodes the clown will go silent, or claim there were no warning signs, or blame the staff and entertainers af Johnson’s or who knows what.  The only thing the clown won’t do is place the blame where it belongs…. A corrupt pride holdings group 

Edited Wednesday at 03:15 PM by Atlanta_Guy

[+ BOZO T CLOWN]

"but the clown says “no big deal”"
Really? Since you put those three words in quotation marks, who were you quoting? Certainement pas moi!

Johnsons may very well be forced out of business due to poor management. Bozo never said they wouldn't. Unfortunately, your post and others by you show that you are way too emotional to engage in an honest, reasonable discussion about Johnsons.

Enjoy the rest of your day... 

BTC
🤡

[Atlanta_Guy]

1 hour ago, BOZO T CLOWN said:

"but the clown says “no big deal”"
Really? Since you put those three words in quotation marks, who were you quoting? Certainement pas moi!

Johnsons may very well be forced out of business due to poor management. Bozo never said they wouldn't. Unfortunately, your post and others by you show that you are way too emotional to engage in an honest, reasonable discussion about Johnsons.

Enjoy the rest of your day... 

BTC
🤡

The pedantic clown pops up again.  Let me remind you what you said.  “That's not a whole lot of money for a business like Johnsons”  I paraphrased that with “no big deal”   it was 100% accurate description of your intended message.  
 

I’m sorry I used quotes instead of semi quotes.  But that is irrelevant  Own it and stop obfuscating like  a titty baby politician.  

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

14 minutes ago, Atlanta_Guy said:

 “That's not a whole lot of money for a business like Johnsons”

Agree, $2K isn't a lot of money for a strip club.  If $2K  was the only debt, then it should be no big deal.  It's going to be much larger numbers in the background that cause the business to fail or thrive.

I'm rooting for Johnsons to stay open, because those boys need a place to dance regardless of ownership, and gay men need a space that caters to them to escape the straight female-obsessed world and just relax.  Here's hoping it's a payment software glitch and they remain open, just like after similar gossip spread 9 months ago.

[+ BOZO T CLOWN]

And what was said was 100% accurate. Paying two thousand dollars to avoid having the water and utilities shut off is not a lot of money. For a business that generates so much revenue, two thousand bucks is inconsequential.

You need to stop being so nasty and hostile. It's not good for your blood pressure. Try to engage with others without the petty name calling.
Also avoid paraphrasing and speculating on what Bozo's "intended message" is or isn't.

Have a blessed day.

BTC
🤡

[Atlanta_Guy]

I’ll continue to paraphrase whenever it is appropriate… like it was in this thread.

Thank you for admitting that my response to your post was accurate though.  That was a big step for you I’m sure.

my blood pressure is excellent btw.  I don’t have high blood pressure… I give it to others 🤣

[AtlantaDude]

Is there anyone in the Ft Lauderdale area who can determine if Johnsons is still open and operating?   I was planning a visit this weekend.  

[john4112nola]

The main reporter who has been covering this, posted a video where he  said "I Talked With Wilton Manors Utilities This Afternoon, And They Said The Bar Is Still In Arrears But They Made A Payment And Are Good Through September Second.

[AtlantaDude]

Thanks for the report.  

[Wadcot]

I've been at Johnsons this past weekend - if not for all this info, I'd never guess something is going on. The bar is full, plenty of dancers, quite a few of them new. Same roster of bartenders, even Taran was there one of the nights. If to judge by appearance only, it's business as usual, nothing changed, and I enjoyed the time there.

[Atlanta_Guy]

Note - there may be some transcription errors as this was taken from an image posted by Matt Colunga.

btw - everything in this article is true

Former Johnsons Owner Matt Colunga Speaks Out

By John Hayden

“Everything is a lie.”

Those are the words of Matt Colunga, founder of Johnsons and a former employee of Pride Holdings Group (PHG). During an exclusive interview with OutSFL, he talked about big dreams and what he says were broken promises from the bar and entertainment company.

Colunga said he sold the Wilton Manors and Tampa strip clubs to PHG with visions of jet-setting around the world as part of an LGBTQ entertainment company. He said he was told he would live in Australia, help run the Stonewall bar in Sydney and expand the Johnsons brand.

“It sounded exciting. I get to see my brand,” Colunga said.

Colunga said he was promised a salary of $180,000 a year, plus travel and other expenses. He says those plans never materialized.

“On the day of the sale, I asked for my employment package,” Colunga said.

Colunga said he never received the employment contract or health insurance he says he had been promised. He said he continued seeking answers from the company for months. The Sydney venue later closed.

Colunga said PHG CEO Tim Majors told him he respected both him and the Johnsons business and believed it fit the company’s goal of bringing LGBTQ venues under one umbrella, the Stronger Together theory.

Colunga also said the Tampa Johnsons location was struggling compared with the Wilton Manors location.

Colunga said that after the Australia plans fell through, Mike and Jon Barrett approached him about working between the Wilton Manors and Tampa locations.

“They came in and said go back and forth [between Wilton Manors and Tampa],” he said. “My expense reports were rejected. Now I’m doing the same exact job but for less money.”

BEHIND THE CURTAIN

Colunga said the company’s public messaging increasingly differed from what he says he was hearing internally. According to Colunga, Majors told him,

“We’re in financial distress.”

Colunga characterized the Barretts’ management style as bullying and intimidating.

PHG announced in a press release that Michael Barrett had retired as CEO and voluntarily returned more than 20% of the company’s common stock. Colunga disputes the company’s characterization of Barrett’s departure and claims Barrett was forced out.

Colunga said management repeatedly assured employees that new investors would soon provide millions of dollars in additional financing. He says he eventually stopped believing those assurances.

“It kept going on and on, lie after lie,” he said. “They had us lie to all these people knowing damn well they didn’t have the money.”

FINANCIAL ALLEGATIONS

Colunga said the company has failed to make certain sales and employment tax payments for several months. OutSFL has independently confirmed the status of those tax accounts.

Multiple employees told OutSFL that recent payroll checks were returned for insufficient funds.

On Tuesday, Aug. 18, Wilton Manors’ Johnsons was served a utility shut-off notice.

Colunga says he is concerned he could face liability for actions taken by PHG after the sale. He, and an attorney suing PHG, says the company hasn’t done the paperwork to transfer tax responsibility and liquor license.

He filed a police report so he can be on the record about his practical relationship with PHG.

“Six months later, bills are still in my name.”

Several PHG assets have closed in recent months, including Aquaplex in Oakland Park and Key West, The Birdcage in Key West, and Lucky’s in Palm Beach County. PHG’s Lips in Chicago is also being sued.

For now, Colunga is looking for work and wants to see justice for anyone aggrieved by Pride Holdings.

“I’d love to see [Mike and Jon Barrett] go to jail. I’d love to see Tim Majors go to jail.”

 

[MrDakota]

Photo from Matts Post that was text compiled by AtlantaGuy above. 

 

Edited 23 hours ago by MrDakota

[rojjodc]

Can't believe that Matt was so foolish and I think he is hiding something.  I surmise that he was given millions of stock options and had visions of the stock price zooming like an AI or tech stock so he could cash in for millions.  Since the stock has actually crashed, I'm guessing he is bitter with both losing his 'baby' businesses and getting really nothing in return, besides boredom.  I think he tried to make a comeback because he was bored and then saw how bad the business had gotten.  

[Atlanta_Guy]

26 minutes ago, rojjodc said:

Can't believe that Matt was so foolish and I think he is hiding something.  I surmise that he was given millions of stock options and had visions of the stock price zooming like an AI or tech stock so he could cash in for millions.  Since the stock has actually crashed, I'm guessing he is bitter with both losing his 'baby' businesses and getting really nothing in return, besides boredom.  I think he tried to make a comeback because he was bored and then saw how bad the business had gotten.  

Your analysis… if I can call it that, is half baked at best.  “Matt hiding something”… “Matt is bored”

Matt isn’t hiding anything.  The article above spells it out.  They gave him stock - not options… actual shares in the business and made grand promises.

He isn’t bored.  He’s broke and needs a job.  And I hope he is able to get a new club started   

[EZEtoGRU]

I'm hearing multiple parties are interested in purchasing Johnson's in Wilton Manors.  But I'm also hearing that there are likely plenty of issues standing in the way of a sale like the hotel project...but also the highly suspect business practices of the current owners.  I have no first-hand knowledge of the current owner's business practicces...but I am a believer of "where's there's smoke there's fire".   Seems to be a very messy situation.   

As others have stated, I do hope Johnson's Wilton Manors remains a viable going concern.  Having said that, I would like to see another similar option outside of Florida in the USA.