Former Vermont Capitol police chief owes hefty lunch tab

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – An overdue lunch tab has landed Vermont’s former Capitol police chief in hot water.

Former Vermont Capitol Police Chief Matthew Romei left behind an unpaid lunch tab of $1,600 at the Capitol Food Court when he stepped down in 2023, according to multiple sources at the Statehouse.

The debt is owed to the Abbey Group, a private company that contracts with the Legislature to provide meals under the Golden Dome.

Attempts to reach their new owners, New York-based Whitson’s Culinary Group, were unsuccessful.

Romei declined an interview but said over the phone he has the lunch money and is willing to pay. He was unclear whether the payment should go to the Legislature or the Abbey Group.

He said this private debt issue shouldn’t be public.

Lawmakers working on legislative bills receive meal stipends, but others who eat at the Capitol food court must pay their own food bills.

The Statehouse cafeteria has since ended the practice of allowing individuals to run lunch tabs. People who don’t get state stipends must pay each time they dine.

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