Breaking: Buckley's Tavern loses lease; will stop operating in January.

From their Facebook page:

It is with great sadness that we announce that Buckley’s Landlord has decided to not continue our Lease. The Landlord intends to renovate the building after our departure.
Buckley’s Tavern will continue to operate here through
January 15, 2012
We are actively looking for a new location to continue to provide our guests with our award winning food & drink.
We will keep you informed of our progress.
We want to thank all of our patrons and the community of Centreville for the privilege of having you and your families as our guests for more than 28 years.
We especially want to thank our current staff and all those who came before for their service and dedication in creating an atmosphere where every guest felt welcome and for crafting many great memories with our guests.
We wish the best to all involved and look forward to seeing everyone during our last weeks as we celebrate Buckley’s good fortune and the great friends we have made here in Centreville through the years.

David Weir,
Chef/Managing Partner

Fan comments were mostly supportive, except for one puzzling post by a woman who claimed she "Never liked Buckley's".   Maybe it's just me.  Maybe I'm missing something here.  But why would you be a Facebook fan of a restaurant you "never liked"?  Oh, internets. 

Don't get me wrong, everyone is entitled to their opinion.  But this blogger, for one, is sad.  A lot of the fun of Buckley's was the unusual atmosphere - the old farmhouse structure, the vine-covered brick porch, the interior that was warm and very casual yet was distinctly Centreville.  It was a nice place to go when you felt like tavern fare but wanted to experience a little more old money panache than a Stanley's or McGlynn's could provide.  And the food was pretty good.  The $25 Wednesday special of brick-oven pizza, salad and wine for two was a great deal. 

Another commenter noted that word on the street is that Dan Butler (owner of Piccolina Toscana and Deep Blue) has his eye on the location.  According to this release, the landlord intends to "renovate".  But is it possible the landlord, after 28 years, is going to try to finagle a higher lease from a better connected restauranteur like Butler?