A delivery driver hauling Four Roses bourbon showed up at Black Jack's Rum Bar & Grille in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday for a scheduled 1:30 p.m. drop-off and found the doors locked. Inside, 53 workers across the tavern's two South Florida locations were left wondering whether they would ever see the paychecks they say have been missing since August 1. The Caribbean-themed pirate tavern, known for its sprawling rum wall and hulking pub fare, shut down both its Fort Lauderdale and Davie outposts amid what owner Deanne Crosby described as financial trouble tied to a slow summer.
Crosby, who runs Black Jack's day-to-day operations, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that she was trying to prevent the closure from becoming permanent and was working that day to get everyone paid. She acknowledged the biweekly payday, which had been due the previous Saturday, was late, and said poor sales over the previous month contributed to the crunch. Both taverns had actually stayed open Monday and Tuesday before the Wednesday shutdown, according to the same report.
Employees learned of the closures through a group text message from Crosby, the Sun Sentinel reported. Family members of staff, posting on the outlet's social media page, said workers had received messages earlier in the week assuring them the business was stable, only for a follow-up message days later to announce the immediate shutdown instead of the back pay they had been expecting.
Staff Left In Limbo Over Missing Wages
Jay Tilyn, a server at the tavern, said the closing was dropped on workers after a week without pay, and that staff were upset about the unpaid wages, per the Sun Sentinel. Tilyn had worked at Black Jack's for three months. Several employees reportedly did not show up for work once word of the closure spread, and at least four workers told the outlet they had not received paychecks since August 1.
Jermaine Taylor, a chef who worked shifts at both the Fort Lauderdale and Davie locations, said he did not know whether he would be paid and is now looking for a new job, according to the report. General manager Russ Twining, who also serves as the company's food and beverage director overseeing kitchen and bar operations at both sites, declined to comment on the tavern's status when reached by the Sun Sentinel.
Florida law gives workers like Taylor and Tilyn a formal path to recovery if their pay remains unresolved. Under Chapter 448 and Section 95.11 of the state's statutes, employees owed wages can file civil legal action and, if they prevail, collect back pay, liquidated damages and attorney's fees, according to Online Sunshine, the state's official legislative resource.
A Rapid Rise From Davie To Flagler Village
Black Jack's opened its Davie flagship in January 2025 on the ground floor of the Zona Village apartment complex at 3890 Davie Road, directly across from Nova Southeastern University, according to reporting from Florida Trend. The location courted both apartment residents and nearby college students, at one point offering a loyalty program called the Captain's Card that gave a 10 percent discount to Zona Village tenants along with students and staff from Nova Southeastern and Broward College, according to promotional material once posted on Black Jack's own website.
Just three months after the Davie debut, the ownership group filed plans for a second, larger location in Fort Lauderdale, according to WhatNow. That 200-seat venue debuted in the Flagler Village neighborhood on January 26, 2026, featuring aquamarine epoxy floors, brass lantern lighting and wood-stained tables meant to evoke Exuma Island rather than a theme-park pirate motif, as detailed by Miami New Times. Ted Sabarese, Crosby's father and a semi-retired restaurateur who has run South Florida establishments since 1990, signed a 10-year lease in 2023 for the Fort Lauderdale building on Northeast Third Avenue across from Peter Feldman Park.
Behind The Brand: Family Ownership And A Loaded Rum Wall
Miami New Times reported that Black Jack's was owned and operated by Crosby alongside Sabarese and Ted Sabarese II, with Twining directing kitchen and bar operations across both properties. Sabarese, 86, also owns The Drunken Taco on Fort Lauderdale Beach, a 30-year-old establishment stocked with more than 300 tequila varieties, according to Business Debut.
The Fort Lauderdale tavern's rum wall was its centerpiece, stocked with hundreds of rare bottles and, per Florida Trend, 380 selections total, some pours priced as high as $1,000. The gastropub menu leaned into that indulgence, offering burgers, salads and prime-rib sandwiches alongside a signature double-burger called The Behemoth packed with a full pound of beef, plus Caribbean dishes like paella, whole snapper and ropa vieja, according to WhatNow. The tavern reportedly saw strong business during the monthlong FIFA soccer World Cup earlier this summer, a stretch that made the subsequent slowdown all the more jarring for staff.
Crosby said Black Jack's has not permanently closed and that she plans to try reopening both taverns this weekend, according to the Sun Sentinel. Whether that timeline holds, and whether the 53 workers will see their missing wages before then, remains unresolved.
