A last-minute crowdfunding campaign to save Westport”™s Black Duck Cafe from closing  was shut down two days after it began.
The 40-year staple of Westport”™s restaurant scene announced on Monday that it would be closing on Nov. 4. Within a day of the news, a GoFundMe page was set up by Julianne Dorset, a member of the cafe”™s management team, with the goal of soliciting the financial support to keep the eatery operating.
“We need to raise cash immediately,” Dorset wrote on the GoFundMe page. “This money will get us through the slower time ”¦ Though we have had to increase our prices over the years, these increases have been disproportionately lower than the increasing food costs. In other words, our commitment to being one of the last affordable, laid-back restaurants in lower Fairfield County has caught up to us.”
The GoFundMe campaign raised $5,170 by Thursday morning, with a goal of $100,000. By Thursday afternoon, however, the campaign was cancelled and the raised funds were returned to the donors. No explanation was given by the Black Duck Cafe owners on this action.
