The Windjammer in Lexington closes for the ‘foreseeable future,’ 2nd time in past 6 months

The Windjammer, the only waterfront restaurant in Lexington, has closed again for the second time in the past six months. 

The restaurant’s general manager, Shelly Hassler, announced the closure in a Facebook post on Friday. 

“I am writing with the very sad news that the Windjammer needs to close for the foreseeable future,” she wrote. “Despite months of hard work and support to keep our doors open, it has become clear that it’s simply not possible to continue to operate the restaurant while, at the same time, bringing the restaurant to the level that meets that health department’s requirements and that also corrects the years of serious maintenance issues on the building.” 

Over the last several weeks, Hassler has worked closely with the Roxbury Group, who acquired the property in June, to fully assess the magnitude and scope of work necessary to fix the building’s many issues, Hassler said in the post. 

Through this evaluation, the different parties determined they must close the restaurant to complete such a major renovation project, according to the post. 

“This will clearly take time to develop and will be costly given the conditions that both Roxbury and I inherited with the building, but we are fully committed to making this happen,” Hassler wrote. 

In August, The Windjammer voluntarily closed after the Sanilac County Health Department cited multiple code violations during an inspection, according to the department’s inspection reports. 

Some of the violations included improper storage of food on the floor of a walk-in cooler, a heavily soiled and scored cutting board and evidence of pests like mice and rats demonstrated by rodent droppings in the facility, according to the reports. 

In a past interview, Hassler said she had trouble with employee turnover this past summer and struggled with stress. She felt the health department’s report was “embellished” in some parts, especially when it came to the rodent problem.  

The restaurant has had rodents in the past but it was handled immediately. There are traps under everything and they haven’t seen evidence of the rodents in the past year, she said.

Read More:

• Cadillac House owners plan to reopen The Windjammer in Lexington
• Read the health department reports: The Windjammer reopens its bar, but not its kitchen, in Lexington
• Sanilac County Health Department gives The Windjammer OK to reopen

Bryant Wilke, health officer for the Sanilac County Health Department, said in a past interview it’s important to have facilities following the law to protect people, but the department also knows it is important to have a business open. 

The bottom line is that they all want to protect public health, he said. 

The Windjammer was able to reopen its bar and kitchen this past October until this most recent closure. 

A representative of Van Dyke Horn Public Relations, which is working with the Roxbury Group and Hassler, said that the restaurant was closed as of Jan. 17 and no timeline for reopening was available. 

In the meantime, updates will be posted to The Windjammer’s Facebook page and people can keep up with the restaurant there, the representative said. 

Holly Tatman, Lexington village manager, said in a written statement that the village was disappointed about the closing, as The Windjammer is “a staple in our community as is Shelly and her team.” 

“But we understand the need to maintain a quality standard and therefore look forward to what the future holds for them as they join the Roxbury team,” she said. “I'm sure great things are to come and we will help support their waterfront outdoor- focused business throughout the coming seasons.” 

In the shorter term for the restaurant, the hope is that management can work on a plan for the coming summer season that will bring waterfront outdoor-focused food, beverage offerings and events to the community that keeps the waterfront a busy and fun place to visit, Hassler said in the Facebook post. 

“At this time, I just want to thank all of my beloved customers, team-members and supporters for your thoughts, encouragement and patronage over these last seven years, and in particular over the difficult last few months,” Hassler said. “I also want to thank my friends at the Roxbury Group, who have been with me every step of the way in working to keep the Windjammer going, and are working in partnership with me to chart a path forward.” 

Wilke did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hassler did not return a phone call or text message with questions.

Bryce Airgood is the business reporter for the Times Herald. Have questions or a story idea? You can contact her at (810) 989-6202 or bairgood@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @bairgood123.