The City That Breeds » Boozetime! » The Boycott of Ryleigh’s Oyster

The Boycott of Ryleigh’s Oyster

April 29th, 2011 | 42 Comments

As if things aren’t tumultuous enough in the Federal Hill area with Neighborhood Associations cracking down on rowdy establishments hell bent on expanding their businesses to the nth degree, comes the news that Ryleigh’s Oyster owner-in-name-but-not-finance Brian McComas has initiated the sale of the property currently inhabited by No Way Jose Cafe (38 East Cross St.), whose operators are currently leasing the space. The intention, at least it would seem at this moment, would be for the building occupied by No Way Jose Cafe to be gutted and subsequently incorporated into adjacent Ryleigh’s Oyster, allowing Ryleigh’s to “remain competitive” with the other bars in the area. The owners/operators of No Way Jose were unaware of the deal, and have been trying to purchase the building they occupy for quite some time.

Fans of No Way Jose have banded together and formed a Facebook Event (edit: as of 10:30am 4/30, the event has been removed due to hostile commentary towards McComas’ family. Over 1,000 folks attended the “event” – there is however now a Facebook Group and a Friend Page for those interested), calling for the widespread boycott of Ryleigh’s and its related restaurant ventures, namely Taverna Corvino (which is also currently expanding into an adjacent property purchased by McComas) for what they feel is an unethical business deal, including establishments not currently in operation – Turners/Billabongs and Federales – should they reopen in the future.

McComas is widely known for his …interesting career path in the bar/restaurant business, with his various family members holding court over his various operations, some never coming to fruition due to impropriety on his part, and in some cases infidelity. A lot of hostility has been fostered by various individuals toward his establishments in the past, notably a Thanksgiving-related bar crawl in 2009 benefiting Special Olympics he pulled the plug on – the day it was scheduled to occur – forcing hundreds of people to scrap their plans and reorganize, costing thousands for the charity.

I’ll give him this much, the guy knows how to make waves. In the meantime, best of luck to the folks at No Way Jose!

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  • Meghan

    Brian McComas is an asshole.

  • Tlutz

    I can’t believe this shady p.o.s. I understand business is business but at least be ethical. This guy just lost alot of….all of my business

  • Dan D

    That’s no way to treat your neighbor.

  • Corenlove

    I just quit there yesterday after 2 years. Brian and his minion of a manager treat people like crap. It doesn’t surprise me that he would pull a move like that. Mean while they recently got audited. I actually got the call myself from the IRS. Karma’s a B*tch Brian and Josh

  • Anonymous

    Didn’t he cheat on his wife with his best friend’s wife? Classy guy!!

    • Hamilton

      What the fuck does that have to do with anything. You are probably one of those typical Federal Hill wanna be’s who runs their mouth without knowing shit.

      • Guest

        I would agree that this is uncalled for but it is fact and it is a little relevant since his wife legally owns Ryleighs – not him.

        • Hamilton

          It still has nothing to do with anything. There are multiple different reasons for people using other family members names. Regardless of truth, it is tactless and pathetic to bring someone’s innocent family into petty mud slinging about someone.

          • yupYUP

            I think KGM801 has a point. All of these actions – like cheating – add to his poor character. He is obviously a bad person.

          • Willow1966

            Sounds like “Hamilton” is actually Brian McComas. A real asshole.

  • Asgasklg

    somebody might want to do a credit check on mccomas before he buys a new property, considering he recently was able to prove “hardship” and bankruptcy in order to avoid foreclosing on one of his houses..

  • wkryder

    Sounds like this douches personal/business record is about as clean as the Harbor.

  • Cjp1we

    That’s one place that will now be forever off my rotatiom…

  • Jacks Back

    It’s funny that people keep thinking that McComas owns these places……he had to put them all in his wife’s name since he had stolen so much money from previous investors, then had to declare bankruptcy two years ago to avoid having what little he has left taken from him. Hopefully one day people wake up and stop going there altogether.

  • Fedhill

    This is crap. I hope everyone boycotts Ryleighs and Mccomas. He is a backstabbing douchebag as you can see by the comments below. He runs the hospitality association and then takes out its members bars behind their back. Meanwhile he has everyone else own “his” businesses and doesn’t pay his taxes according to the recent Baltimore Sun article. If Ryleighs shuts down that would make room for a better bar – or two – and help save the local bars like joses. These local bars are so much batter than hand-job bars like Ryleighs anyways.

  • Hamilton

    If people are going to be pathetic enough and have this much free time on their hands as to blog about other people, maybe you should get your facts straight. You are all pathetic little people with nothing better to do on a Friday night besides run your mouth about people and things that would be impossible for you to factually know. Many, if not all of these speculations posted are total crap. You are all the actual assholes by posting things about his wife and their family. If you have a problem with someone, especially someone that you probably don’t even know, as most of you probably don’t even personally know him; don’t bring his family into it. You don’t get any lower or more pathetic than bringing someone’s innocent family into your pettiness. Get a life and learn some facts…you losers! BTW…taking time to write blogs about people wasn’t even cool 5 years ago when people were doing it.
    And please feel free to write all the hate mail back your little pathetic hearts desire, as I have way more of a life than you and will not be lowering myself to ever get on this site again. Peace bitches!

  • old acquaintance

    I think Hamilton is bangin his wife!! Either that or the guy who made a living stealing radar detectors in highschool has turned gay and Hamilton is his beeeatch! McComas has been a self-centered dirtbag since he was 3 and I find it funny that he continues to find people to prey upon. If he ever reaches out to you regarding anything run don’t walk to the nearest exit.

  • AnotherFedHiller

    Unfortunately No Way Jose has lousy food, hit or miss service and it cannot compete with the bars in the area. It hasn’t been able to evolve and that is unfortunate, but also the reality. Brian is a businessman and he has made some good business decisions. He will obviously continue to do so as opportunities present themselves because that’s what businesspeople do. He’s not a saint, not a sinner. He’s doing what he does for a living. If the proprietors of No Way Jose had as much business sense, they’d have kept a finger on the pulse of the neighborhood and–like it or not–evolved to fit the changing demands of the clientele. At the end of the day, No Way Jose pulled its head out of the sand too late to do anything, it’s too little too late, and it will not stop the changes underway.

    • people are dumb

      your an idiot and do not know the facts. Read up on Killian LLC. and how the owner of Jose’s has been trying to buy that place for 5 years from that c@#k sucker of Killian, LLC who just decided to go ahead and sell it randomly to Mccomasshole. There is something missing here that has personal all over it. As far as your comments about the food and service. Food can be hit or miss but I always make it a point to begin and end my nights there simply because of the service. You don’t know anything

    • Willow1966

      You are a moron.

  • AnotherFedHiller

    Funny. Folks who hang at No Way wouldn’t be caught dead in Ryleigh’s anyway, and the very reverse is true as well. Different crowds. A boycott of a place you never hang out at anyway is truly silly.

    • yupYUP

      I know for a fact that many of the employee’s of Ryleigh’s hangout at No Way late night. They like that bar. They are friends with the people who work in that bar. It’s sad that they now are dealing with the reprocutions of all of this – and they never even asked for it.

      Ryleigh’s was dead last night – Friday night! dead. Boycott worked. Okay. But what about the people who have jobs there? They need to make money too.

      • Jacks Back

        Unfortunately, if they’ve chosen to work for him, and all of his employees are aware of what he does because he blatantly does his “business” in front of them while his wife isn’t there to see, they deserve the same fate.

  • Jacks Back

    There are most certainly reasons for putting things in others people’s names, but it had more to do with Brian McComas stealing millions of dollars from Get Integrated (go ahead, look it up) than it had to do with any tax reasons. In fact, he hasn’t paid his personal taxes in three years. Amazing a slime ball like that is still a free man. And speaking of “Hamilton”, that name sounds an awful lot like the golf course in New Jersey that McComas lies to everyone at his golf club (Hayfields) about being a member. Kind of like my name sounds a lot like the name he keeps his ex girlfriends number under in his phone so his wife doesn’t know (who is clearly a part of this charade, otherwise she would have dropped this lying cheating dirtbag years ago). PS – Little known fact: The night before his wedding, he went to said girlfriend and said to her that if there was a chance of them being together again, that he would call the entire wedding off. The night before his wedding!!! These are the things he like to brag about late at night with his friends and on the golf course. That’s some catch you have there, Mrs McComas…..

    • Nighty night Mr. McComas

      And he’s a notorious “pay to play” bar owner when dealing with beer/liquor distributors. Highly illegal. And it’s about to come crashing down hard on him very, VERY soon. Watch ;)

  • noprettyboys

    Indeed Mr. McComas has a lively past asa business owner and entrepreneur.I like the facts so I checked out Brian M (or Michael). McComas on the Md. Sate Court Records website. (courts.md.state.us ) From drug manufacturing and distribution to hit and runs, the guy has it all tied up. He is truly a disturbing character but I believe he has met his match in the IRS. If anyone loans him money to buy that bldg. they are at the top of the “big fool” list! If you really want to make a case here, get together with your fellow protesters and start a petition for the Liquor Board to protest his expansion. He needs a LCB hearing to approve the expansion. If you are really serious hire an attorney. Best of luck…

  • Anonymous

    JacksBack, none of the employees at Ryleigh’s joined the work environment knowing what they were getting into with Brian McComas, and they do not deserve any sort of “fate”. Show a little compassion. NONE OF THEM like any part of what is going on right now, nor did they have any clue about it.

    • Jacks Back

      You clearly don’t know McComas, or anyone that works (or has worked) there. He’s not shy about bragging to his minions about how great he is. Problem is, what he thinks is great is really the textbook characteristics of a sociopath.

  • Fedup

    Sounds like people dont know a thing about the facts to me. Last night I spoke to another bar owner of Fed Hill and they said they were well aware of the fact that the building was for sale. Even went as far to tell me that McComas was the one who contatcted the Jose’s owner to tell her about it! Might be time to ask Jose’s owner about that.

    • Fhneighbor

      it doesn’t matter about whether or not the building was for sale, it’s a bad thing to do. You don’t do that to your neighbor.

      • Fedup

        um…yes it does. It means…buy it or step aside. Would it be better if someone else bought the place? Talk to the girl she will tell you herself she doesnt blame Macomas…she blames the landlord.

        • Fhneighbor

          Brian should not expand Ryleigh’s and take over Jen’s spot unless there is an agreement in which she is happy with. I’m surprised that she blames John.K., but I am sure she has her reasons. It’s bad business. I honestly think that it would have been better if someone else would have bought the place. It’s a shame the Jen didn’t have a better lease. I wish her the best.

  • Sam Sessa

    Somebody should write a story about Federal Hill bars.

    • http://citythatbreeds.com Evan

      Yeah they don’t get *any* coverage!

      • richard bachman

        Evan, a good reporter would have reported about Joses being bought by McComas instead of just talking about all of the other protests. He got 90% of the story. He’s slipping. j/k Sam!

        • Sam Sessa

          90 percent of the story?!?! NO WAY JOSE!

          • richard bachman

            At least we still have Maza:)

  • pepperpernod

    Who hurt “Hamilton”s Feelings?

  • pepperpernod

    Sounds like the Federales are coming to get Jose

  • guest

    I work in Federal Hill. I just want to point out that despite how I feel about Brian and his unethical and shady behavior, why should the staff at Ryleigh’s be punished? When everyone threatens to never go there again you are hurting the people who work there. Their bartenders and servers are my friends as well as many of yours. Think about the consequences of your actions.

    • another guest

       So your saying people should support a place that is owned by an unethical and shady individual (and by many accounts a dirtbag) because the bartender is cool?

      • http://twitter.com/kateebee Katy H.

        as long as they have those crab pretzels on the menu and $2 crabs, i’m still going. there are lots of dirtbags in the world. if i boycotted every place owned by someone shady, i’d have nowhere to go!