Point Richmond restaurant, bar and music venue the Baltic Kiss has permanently closed after a tumultuous start to 2025, including a public fundraising campaign, benefit concerts, and at least two employees filing complaints with the California Labor Commission regarding unpaid wages.
Daniel Butt, property manager and attorney for Baltic Square Joint Venture, which owns the Baltic Kiss property at 135 Park Place, confirmed to Nosh that the Contra Costa Sheriff came to the premises on Thursday, April 17 to post a notice of eviction and turn the property over to the landlord.
Butt filed a complaint in December stating the Baltic Kiss, owned and operated by Tony Carracci and Suzie Vasko, owed approximately $30,000 in back rent. Additionally, the Baltic Kiss had not been carrying legally required insurance coverage for the business and had fallen behind on paying bills for utilities and other services, according to Butt.
At the start of 2025, the Baltic Kiss launched a GoFundMe to “cover the outstanding startup costs, get back on our feet financially, and move forward and build a sustainable future.”
The online fundraiser shows a total of $11,661 collected, well short of the $100,000 goal. Still, an update on the GoFundMe page dated March 23 and signed by “The Baltic Kiss Team” thanked the community for its support and said the Baltic Kiss had stabilized enough to live on, including hiring a new talent broker and redesigning its website.
“Your contributions have helped cover back rent and ensure our amazing staff stays paid,” the update states.
“We never saw a penny of the $30k owed,” Butt told Nosh in an email, adding that, after the Baltic Kiss acquired the necessary insurance to operate earlier in the year, the policy was canceled for nonpayment a few weeks ago.
A former bar manager at Baltic Kiss, Casé DaMoude, quit in early February and filed a complaint with the California Labor Commission saying he was owed roughly $15,000 for unpaid hours going back several months. DaMoude also helped start an Instagram account, Baltic Kiss Employees, to publicize the employees’ grievances while the fundraisers were ongoing.
Reached by phone on Friday following the news of Baltic Kiss’ closure, DaMoude said he has still not received any of the back wages (which, since he filed a complaint, would be submitted to the labor commission), and is not aware of any other employees being paid for uncompensated hours.
As Nosh first reported in March, Carracci’s former employees and business associates at previous bars and restaurants also questioned his management abilities, and he has faced multiple lawsuits from vendors and contractors seeking payment for services and goods.
By Friday, April 18 the Baltic Kiss website had a closing announcement posted: “We are very sorry to announce that Baltic Kiss is now permanently closed, effective immediately. Chef Tony, Miss Suzie and staff would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for an incredible 2 1/2 years. Your support has meant the world to us, But now it is time to say goodbye. I sincerely apologize for this situation. We did everything we could to keep Baltic Kiss open. Thank you for your continued support of live music!”
Butt said he would like to keep the property as a music venue, noting it is “the oldest continually operating bar/music venue in Richmond, and maybe in the East Bay – since 1904.”
“We are currently looking for interested parties to lease it and take it on – but they left us with a huge mess and a lot of cleanup to do first,” Butt said.
Good riddance!