Fortune’s fickle game of chance for tenants at 1581 Bayview

The locked door at 1581 Bayview Ave. tells the story at Refuel Juicery. The business has closed after five years of endeavor at two addresses on the street. Husband and wife Naeem and Abbie Memon (left) are hard-working, experienced and cordial people. It is sad to see them go. Before Refuel, 1581 Bayview was celebrated by many reviewers as an innovative wine bar seldom seen in the City. It was the concept of sommelier Otta Zapotocky (centre). At the time, Zapotocky was a full two years into his successful French restaurant L’Avenue across the street. But the new business, Tinto Bar de Tapas, was not as profitable as hoped and ultimately overextended Zapotocky. At right is Alessandro Settimi and his wife Alana at 1581 Bayview on the night of January 18, 2010 as they opened The Mad Italian. The place was a huge success that summer, especially when Setimmi’s father, Aldo, stood outside offering gelato samples. Then stunning good fortune arrived in a man who offered and paid a sum reputed to be near $1 million for the two-store operation. The Setimmi family took the money, as the expression goes. Ultimately the new owner declared bankruptcy. Fortune’s fickle game.