'Chance Of A Lifetime': MA Bar Owner Holds Contest To Give Away Spot

AYER, MA — When Bar 25 in Ayer closed its doors for the final time on May 31 it was done amid a whirlwind of anticipation about what the spot will look like when it soon reopens.

That's because Reza Rahmani was not simply shuttering the Main Street location the way so many other bars and restaurants have faded from neighborhood haunts to empty storefronts in the central Massachusetts town over the past decades, he was pressing the pause button amid an unusual and exciting idea to give the bar, its stock and even much of its staff, away to a new owner as part of a contest that he said could be a "chance of a lifetime" for the lucky winner.

Owners announced two weeks ago a contest concept, in collaboration with Phantom Gourmet, to identify "a deserving individual who dreams of owning their own restaurant but may lack the necessary resources."

The idea was that prospective owners would submit a three-page proposal for a bar and menu concept that would bring something new to the area — not necessarily keeping the 1920s-style speakeasy theme of Bar 25 — with Rahmani helping to launch the location by including the remaining inventory, his expertise in the industry and even the holdover staff members who wish to remain.

The deadline for applications was May 31 with Rahmani telling MassLive this week that about 30 proposals were received for the Main Street Location across from a commuter rail stop. He said they would be reviewed over the next couple of weeks and a three-person panel will determine a handful of contest finalists.

The winner will be revealed in late June on a date to be determined at his other Bar 25 location in Newburyport.

Rahmani has engaged the public in the contest and said more information on the finalists would be revealed in the coming weeks as the location's Facebook page remains active.

"Somebody that has the energy for it," Rahmani said of the ideal contestant in announcing the contest through Phantom Gourmet's social media. "Somebody who has creativity with the menu because this community definitely demands that. (The winner would be) someone who comes in and has a balance between those two things.

"If you have that, I think it's going to be a perfect opportunity."