Farrand Hall owners ordered to repay customer for prepaid dinners

Farrand Hall owners James Gray and Jacob Hagan have been ordered to repay a customer more than $2,100 after failing to appear for a small claims court hearing.

According to St. Joseph County court records, a default judgment of $2,145.65 was ordered June 1 in favor of Michael G. Timmers. The judgment includes $2,043.65 sought by Timmers and additional court costs.

Timmers filed the claim after purchasing a Farrand Hall dinner pass and six future dinner tickets before the venue ceased operations. He claimed he did not receive the meals he paid for and sought reimbursement through the court.

Court records show Gray and Hagan were served in April and that a small claims hearing was scheduled for June 1 before Judge Jeffrey Middleton. The defendants failed to appear, and a default judgement was entered against them. 

During the hearing, Middleton noted he had attended dinners at Farrand Hall himself as recently as February, and had considered purchasing the same dinner subscription program, however, ultimately did not. 

The ruling comes months after Farrand Hall announced plans to sell its Colon-area property and business. In March, Gray told Watershed Voice the decision to sell followed nearly a decade of operating the venue, and was primarily driven by personal considerations rather than the company’s ongoing disputes with Colon Township.

The property, including the event venue and residence, was listed for sale at $2.05 million. While the sale process remains ongoing, Farrand Hall has ceased operations. The venue had previously expanded beyond its Colon location with additional food-related ventures, including a diner-style brunch restaurant in downtown Three Rivers which has since been purchased by former Farrand Hall chef Ken Miller, where he opened his own restaurant, Kingbird and The Ordinary. 

In a statement provided to Watershed Voice, Gray said the company intends to issue refunds after the sale of the property is completed.

“The hardships we faced with the township and a rough 2025 economy placed the company in a bad position,” Gray said. “We have communicated to everyone who purchased tickets from us that refunds will be issued once the property was sold. We are close to the property being sold now.

“Although most people have granted us patience through this hard time, we understand that some could not. And we are working as quickly as we can to resolve the issues facing the company.”

Watershed Voice asked Gray how many customers are still awaiting refunds and the total amount still owed but did not receive a response before publication.

Maxwell Knauer is a staff writer for Watershed Voice.