Miller Place Inn shuts down, leaving some couples without a place to wed

A popular Suffolk County catering hall suddenly shut its doors this week, leaving many Long Island brides-to-be frantically searching for new wedding venues and refunds of their deposits.

The Miller Place Inn, a Regina family owned and operated venue known for hosting weddings and other elaborate functions for 18 years, notified individuals who had placed deposits for upcoming events that the hall closed permanently on Feb. 1 and that they should contact the inn's attorney, Anthony Gallo of Commack, by March 15 to seek refunds.

“Because of the current business environment, the changing dynamics of the catering industry and the remnant effects of the pandemic lockdown that still affect so many of residents and businesses, we have determined that it is not possible for us to continue operations,”  stated a letter sent to customers who left deposits for upcoming events. “We’ve exhausted every effort to keep this family business … from coming to this end, including decorating upgrades and a recent renovation. Unfortunately, despite the financial cost of these efforts we have not been able to end the financial strain of continuing the business.”

Efforts to reach Christopher and Donna Regina, the owners and managers of the Miller Place Inn, were unsuccessful.

Kelley Tighe of Centereach, who was scheduled to get married at the Miller Place Inn on May 10 alongside 160 guests, said she was “shocked” to receive the letter about the closure.

“I’m very upset right now,” said Tighe, who booked the hall two years ago and  planned to visit the inn next month for a menu taste test. “Spending all this money on your wedding and getting it ripped out from underneath you is not easy.”

In recent days, Tighe said she has tried contacting the inn and Donna Regina, but said the co-owner has ignored her calls and messages.

On Thursday, Tighe’s fiance, Justin Coolbaugh, went to Gallo’s office but  was unable to get a refund of their $15,000 deposit, she said.

Tighe said she posted her story on a brides-to-be Facebook page and was soon contacted by officials from Watermill Caterers, who offered to help the couple reschedule their affair. They plan to visit the Smithtown venue Monday.

Meanwhile, the website and Instagram pages of the Miller Place Inn were disabled.

In an interview Thursday night, Gallo said the inn's owners have turned over all the deposit money to him.

“I’m getting releases from the people that paid the deposits, and they’re getting full refunds,” Gallo said, declining to say how many parties were canceled by the sudden closure. “… The money is in my account so everyone will get refunds.”

The venue, Gallo said, lost significant funding during the COVID-19 pandemic and never fully recovered financially.

“They lost a lot of money,” Gallo said, adding that the building is up for sale. “They kept pouring money in, and they renovated, hoping it would bring the business in. It just didn’t happen.”

Margaret Regina, a single mother of five children — four of whom were involved in the operation of the venue — entered the food service industry in 1985, selling ravioli and other pasta products. That business led to the opening of the Miller Place Inn in 2006.

In 2020, the Miller Place Inn was hit with $12,000 in fines after 37 people connected to a sweet 16 party there  tested positive for COVID-19, and it was found that the party exceeded the state maximum of 50 guests.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.