The D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue has suspended operations at vegan restaurants Cafe Green and Java Green.

Eater got ahold of Cafe Green manager Wes Rubbin yesterday, who said the restaurants needed $40,000 to reopen. Lien documents from the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue reveal they owe $133,344 (including penalties and interest). The restaurants have been behind on their taxes since May 2011.

In order to reopen, Java Green and Cafe Green were soliciting donations yesterday on their website, which has since been shut down. They were offering patrons 5 percent discounts for a year for $50 donations and 5 percent off for life for $100 donations. A note previously posted on the site read:

For the past few years Java Green and Cafe Green have struggled to keep our doors open through the recession. Though we have made some headway, as far as the DC Tax Office is concerned, we have not been able to provide them with the amounts they have expected of us. In effect, we have had to state our temporary closing until we can meet the DC Governments expectations.

With that said, in order to stay open and provide you with the healthful vegan dining experience you’ve grown to love, we are going to need a little help from our community. Any donation that you can make is very appreciated and will be going directly towards our efforts to open our doors to you.

No one is answering the phone at either location, and owner DJ Kim has not yet responded to Y&H’s e-mails. A handwritten note on the door at Cafe Green reads: “We apologize for any inconvenience—Cafe Green will be closed until further notice.”

UPDATE: The Java Green/Cafe Green website is back up and soliciting donations from the homepage.

Photo by Jessica Sidman