Regulators close Weyrich’s Carlton Hotel restaurant

February 3, 2010

By KAREN VELIE

Government regulators shut down the restaurant at The Carlton Hotel on Feb. 2 because of unpaid taxes, CalCoastNews has learned.

According to an Atascadero city official, regulators from the Board of Equalization pulled the restaurant’s seller’s permit because of unpaid taxes. The Carlton Hotel remains open.

Officials with the Board of Equalization said they are unable to deny or confirm the allegations. Calls to The Carlton Hotel’s management staff were not returned.

For more than a year, David Weyrich frequently paid his hotel employees with checks that bounce. Former employees claim they are unable to cash payroll checks received months ago.

Earlier this week, lending firm Aegon, which Weyrich owed more than $20 million, took ownership of Martin & Weyrich Winery, the Villa Toscana inn, the York Mountain Winery and the Jack Ranch Vineyard.

Weyrich is buried in debt and has more to lose; he currently owns about 1,000 acres near Lake Nacimiento, a housing subdivision outside of Paso Robles and The Carlton Hotel in Atascadero.

He owes approximately $60 million to more than 150 agencies, lenders, vendors and individuals, according to inside sources familiar with his finances.

Weyrich received his investment capital in 1998 when he sold Martin Media for $610 million, a company previously owned by father-in-law Edward Martin. The proceeds were divided up between family members and investors.