Shark Sushi Bar assets to be auctioned

PROVIDENCE – The business assets of the former Shark Sushi Bar & Grill on Thayer Street will be auctioned to the highest bidder at the end of February, according to a notice published by the court-appointed receiver.
Initial efforts to sell the business assets, including restaurant equipment and furniture, have been unsuccessful, according to attorney Stephen F. Del Sesto, of the Providence firm Donoghue Barrett & Singal PC.
In addition to the contents of the building, the assets include two leases for the 3,470-square-foot space, which is actually two adjoining locations, at 275 and 277 Thayer St., Del Sesto said.
The site may be best known for the role it played in the downfall of former R.I. House Speaker Gordon D. Fox, who pleaded guilty in June 2015 to charges including accepting a $52,000 bribe associated with the former restaurant’s liquor license.
In October 2015, the former owner of the business was indicted by a Providence County grand jury on one count of bribing a public official, according to a state news release.
For Del Sesto, the task is disposing of what remains to satisfy creditors of the former bar business. The site does not have to be used as a restaurant, he said. The liquor license once associated with the property has expired. A new owner who wants to seek a new one will have to apply through the city.
“From a business standpoint, this is Thayer Street,” he said. “The site is a vibrant, popular area. It is difficult to get into Thayer Street if you are a business.”
Anyone interested in bidding on the assets for sale should contact Del Sesto by 5 p.m., Feb. 26.