Winnie’s Manayunk, under fire by employees whose checks bounced, has closed

Restaurateur Winnie Clowry, whose employees have complained publicly about bounced paychecks in recent days, said she has permanently closed Winnie’s Manayunk, a fixture on Main Street.

The restaurant was Le Bus in 1994 when Clowry began managing it. She bought it in 2003 and brought in a racing scull and hung it upside-down over the bar.

Clowry’s decision capped a tumultuous week at the restaurant. On Wednesday, she ordered the firings of the bartenders and waitstaff. On Thursday, she fired the general manager and called police to escort him out, prompting the assistant general manager to quit on the spot. On Friday, about a dozen employees arrived to collect money and W-2 statements they said were owed. Most said they got most of their owed payments and were told that last week’s pay would be available Monday. As they gathered on the sidewalk, Clowry called police. Officers encouraged the workers to put their requests in writing.

It’s also been a stressful six months for Clowry. Her business partner, Joan Lutzow, resigned in July; her mother, Winifred Meall, died Oct. 9; and Winnie’s director of operations, Sean McGranaghan, died unexpectedly on Dec. 25.

Winnie’s workers said paychecks began bouncing in mid-December. Clowry made good on some checks, but not all, said multiple employees. “She kept saying, ‘I’m sorry. It’ll be resolved next week’ and that went on for probably about a month,” Josh Pershing, a bartender, said.

Clowry told workers that she had given money to managers to pay them, but that was not the case, according to the restaurant’s top managers.

She attributed the bounced checks to bookkeeping problems.

Facing pushback from employees, Clowry announced during brunch on Monday that Winnie’s would close until Friday, saying she was “flying south” to give staff a break. She did not leave town, though.

On Tuesday, workers left a letter on Clowry’s desk which said, in part, “As much as we are eager to return and contribute to the restaurant’s success upon reopening, we are unable to continue working without the wages owed to us for the hours already worked.”

On Wednesday, a worker posted the letter to the Roxborough Rants & Raves Facebook group, adding that employees of Winnie’s Market two doors away also were owed money. Commenters excoriated Clowry online; some vowed never to return. Clowry ordered the general manager, who declined to be identified, to fire employees. Meanwhile, Clowry ordered the restaurant to reopen Thursday — with Clowry as waiter and managers in the kitchen.

But the restaurant couldn’t reopen: The pipes had frozen and cracked overnight. When the general manager told Clowry that the toilets and hand-washing sinks were unusable, she fired him and called police to accuse him of trespassing. Assistant general manager Shannon O’Brien said she handed Clowry her keys after police led the general manager out. No charges were filed.

Clowry, 65, has been a visible presence on Main Street during its many fundraisers and festivals. Winnie’s was one of the more fortunate restaurants during the pandemic, as it received nearly $1 million in forgivable loans.

Clowry, who declined to meet with employees Friday, said she has had enough. “I’m taking the sign down,” she said. “This is too much hurt. I’m not the person they’re making me out to be. I live hand to mouth like everybody else.”

The Winnie’s sign was pulled down shortly before 5 p.m. on Friday.