Staff from a third Marathon restaurant in just over a year found themselves out of work on the morning of April 2 with the sudden closing of Brutus Land and Sea.
The business, owned by Alex Henriquez of AH Properties II LLC, officially announced the closure to staff in a text message that Thursday morning after reportedly telling a few late-night staff members on Wednesday that the restaurant wouldn’t reopen.
“It’s been a pleasure working with each of you. I’m grateful for the support, teamwork and great moments we’ve shared. I’ll miss you all,” Henriquez’s wife Nancy wrote in a group text to staff members, after restaurant managers shared news of the closure earlier that morning in the same group chat.
Staff members told the Weekly they’d been instructed to run a half-off sale on the entire menu on April 1 to clear inventory before an upcoming order, but that the vast majority learned of the closure from text messages in the early morning hours on Thursday – some of whom were scheduled to report to work later that day. Staff were compensated for hours worked in payouts on April 3, with no additional compensation.
“This is wild,” one staffer wrote in the group text chain. “A heads-up would have been a respectful approach.”
“If we would have had an explanation on why everything was 50% off, customers would have tipped more knowing the restaurant was closing,” another wrote. “These are our jobs, our livelihood.”
According to court filings, Henriquez agreed to $1.15 million in owner financing upon purchasing the property from its previous owner, Diana Mucha, for $1.55 million in September 2024. Per the original agreement, monthly interest payments of $2,875 would be payable for one year, with the principal balance due in September 2025.
A foreclosure suit and countersuit originally filed in May 2025 over issues with the property’s permits, insurance and liquor license was amended in October 2025 when the principal balance remained unpaid. Later that same month, Diana’s daughter Elise confirmed to the Weekly, Henriquez paid off the principal.
The Weekly attempted to contact Henriquez with questions about the closure sent to his attorney, Patrick Stevens, on April 7, but was unable to reach him before press time.
The restaurant is the third Marathon eatery to suffer a sudden closure since early last year. In January 2025, the sale of Marathon Grill and Ale House preceded a full-staff walkout of the former Overseas Pub and Grill, several of whom went to work for Ale House’s new ownership. In July 2025, the midnight departure of former owners Ali and Andy Baker left the staff of the Key Colony Inn in Key Colony Beach stranded and looking for their final paychecks. The restaurant was later sold and reopened as the Inn at Key Colony in early 2026.
