Latest news with #Richie's
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City venue says 'thank you for everything' in 'heartbreaking' post
A city centre food vendor has delivered some 'heartbreaking' news as it announced its closure. The Baltic Market took to social media to announce that Richie's would be leaving the food court very soon. Richie's has been at the Baltic Triangle premises for a number of years now. It serves everything from cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets to loaded fries and hotdogs. However, this will no longer be the case from next week as the company said it is ready for a 'new chapter'. READ MORE: Major star pulls out of Liverpool Comic Con 2025 READ MORE: Lord Street retailer to close its doors this summer Announcing the news on Instagram, the Baltic Market wrote: 'We've got some huge, and potentially heartbreaking, news. Richie's will be leaving us next week. 'After an unforgettable run with our very own concept, it's time to pass the torch. We're making way for a brand-new trader to join us and serve up some next-level scran that we know will blow you away. 'We've been beyond lucky to have such a creative, passionate team behind Richie's! Who remembers the Cheetos mozzarella stick? Iconic 'While Richie may return in one form or another in the future, we're closing the burger chapter and bringing you something completely fresh. Massive love to every team member, past and present. You're all absolute legends.' Worker Anthony Ricardo previously told the ECHO that even though the Baltic Market can be 'crazy', the venue's atmosphere made it all 'worthwhile'. He said: 'It's boss. Baltic Market is one big family and like being with all your mates in one place on the daily.' It comes just weeks after The Baltic Market announced it would be opening a new food hall miles away from Merseyside. Named St Paul's Market and located in Birmingham, the company hopes it will be 'the best in the UK.' It is a joint venture with Independent Birmingham, and street food restaurant Buddha Belly also being involved. The upcoming venue occupies a 10,000-square-foot warehouse on Birmingham's Mary Anne Street, just off Saint Paul's Square in the Jewellery Quarter. The team has signed a 15 year lease, with the opening more than 11 years in the making.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Founder of local restaurant chain dies by suicide before scheduled sentencing
When 66-year-old Richard Bhoolai didn't show up Wednesday morning for a scheduled sentencing, there was concern. Bhoolai's attorney, Kory Jackson, told U.S. District Judge Douglas Cole that he had spoken to Bhoolai the previous evening about the hearing. Bhoolai, the founder of the fast food restaurant chain Richie's, faced a three-year sentence for tax evasion charges. Jackson told Cole that Bhoolai wasn't answering his phone or responding to text messages. Cole rescheduled the sentencing for 4 p.m., saying he hoped that Bhoolai hadn't been involved in a vehicle accident. But the late-afternoon sentencing never took place. Bhoolai had died by suicide. In an interview, Jackson said that when he talked to Bhoolai Tuesday night, Bhoolai didn't show signs that anything was wrong. "He sounded like his usual, ebullient self," Jackson said, adding: "It's just really sad that this is how this situation ended." Bhoolai, a native of the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, immigrated to the U.S. in the mid-1970s when he was 17, court documents say. He founded the first Richie's in 1986, according to the restaurant's website. Jackson said in a sentencing memorandum that at its peak, there were "multiple Richie's locations in multiple states." But according to federal prosecutors, for nearly two decades, Bhoolai "flouted federal law" and actively tried to "delay and deceive the IRS." Prosecutors say that in 2006, he chose to stop paying his employment taxes. Investigators estimated that ultimately, he was responsible for a tax loss of $2.3 million. Richie's would withhold taxes from employees' paychecks, including federal income taxes, Medicare and Social Security taxes. But that money was never submitted to the IRS, prosecutors said. Instead, according to court documents, Bhoolai withdrew more than $1 million from business bank accounts and spent much of it gambling. Jackson, in the sentencing memorandum, said Bhoolai was "ready to admit that he has a gambling problem and that his loss of large sums of money led him to be convicted of these charges." Last year, a jury in federal court in Cincinnati found Bhoolai guilty of eight counts of willful failure to pay employment taxes. In addition to the prison term, prosecutors were seeking nearly $600,000 in restitution. Anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts can call or text the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 800-273-8255 any time day or night. A chat option is available online at This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Richie's founder dies by suicide before sentencing for tax crimes
