Co-owner Matt Finnigan in a social post contributed personal health problems to the namesake tavern’s permanent closure following nearly three years in business. “To say we're sad would be a hideous understatement,” wrote Matt Finnegan on Sunday, speaking on behalf of himself and co-owner wife, Stephanie Finnigan. The restaurateur noted that he is currently experiencing his third “brush with death” within 34 months and has opted to prioritize his health over Finnigan’s on the Lake.
The restaurant first temporarily closed late last week due to illness. “We wish to thank all of our patrons, friends, families and employees for their support [and] hard work,” he wrote. It’s not their first closure.
The couple previously bought Carney’s Tavern in 2013 and later closed it down in 2021 due to challenges maintaining the building’s 180-year-old infrastructure. Like Carney’s, the site of Finnigan’s on The Lake off Lake Road has switched hands numerous times in more than a century’s time. It was originally built as a residence and one point during the 1920s served as a speakeasy.
Within recent history, it was home to Villago Pizzeria & Ristorante under the ownership of Sandy Foster and Joseph Guerrera. The two took it over in 2014 after Good Times Lakeview Restaurant closed for good after more than four decades in business. Like Finnigan’s, 25-year Good Times co-owner Hugh Kelleigh had faced medical complications at the time the family closed the restaurant.
