The Pearl at Longshore closes following change in management

The Pearl Restaurant & Bar, located at 260 Compo Road South, closed on Nov. 28 as a result of a change in management at The Inn at Longshore. Longshore Hospitality, LLC., a part of the Greenwich Hospitality Group, took over operations at the Inn at Longshore following the retirement of Rory Tagert, who operated the inn for 35 years. 

There is a great opportunity and destiny ahead for Pearl,” the owners wrote in a Facebook post. “A new management group is taking over responsibilities for The Inn at Longshore and in turn will also take over the restaurant and patio area. They will have the ability to holistically re-imagine Longshore and not be restricted by what restaurant space is today.⁣”

Connecticut’s COVID-19 restrictions of limited capacity have resulted in the closure of restaurants throughout the state. Fewer customers resulted in a loss of income that prompted restaurants to close. 

“There are estimates of the pandemic’s destruction: 600 shuttered restaurants in eight months, with more to come,”a Hartford Courant article said.

The Pearl at Longshore also faced the challenges associated with COVID-19 restrictions regarding restaurants. 

Simply, the math did not work given the pandemic and restrictions,” Lois Backon, one of the owners, told Patch. 

Pearl Restaurant & Bar started serving customers in February of 2016. Since then, the restaurant has become a staple for many Westporters. 

“It was such a nice setting to sit and enjoy a meal,” Caitlin Jacob ’24 said. “It’s such a shame that it will be closing.”