the landlord sounds like a jerk. it's heavy handed to do something so damaging to the anchor restaurant of the complex. sorry, SAG is the prime location there and the american grill and bar concept is proven. hopefully something can be worked out and they can move past this, but i doubt i'll go to any of the restuarants if this is how this goes down....just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. it sounds like the landlord just received the bill for the ferris wheel and is taking it out on a tennant that is late, but certainly willing to work something out.

This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard! Clearly a Landlord who does not understand anything about how his property business works! The objective is not to rent to a quantity of restaurants but to allow one to get established and grow, therefore begin to generate a steady revenue! Once a lease expires with a prominent, successful restaurant in place for renegotiations the opportunity is there for even further profits. It's a team effort. The only reason for such an abrupt action by a landlord would be a highly illegal incentive provided by a third party investor... it'll be interesting to see how this game of chess is played. I would like to be the first to say it looks as though the landlord exposed his queen a little early... A few properly placed moves and this is clearly an easy checkmate. ; )

I don't think it's all on the Landlord here. The landlord are in the business of making money on rent. SAG certainly doesn't have a track record of paying rent and then missed the first payment that were due -- other than the deposit and 1 month's advanced rent that were paid. A restauranteer needs to go into business thinking that the first year they will be in the red and be prepared with funds to cover the underflow of revenue. Sounds like this planning was not completely done.
While I think it may be that a little more time could be provided to see if SAG can make it, let's not lump this all on the landlord.

Great job following up on this. A lot of people wanted to know what was going on and this helps a ton! This is why I love hyperlocal news.

Anyone have thoughts on why that shopping center (in general) isn't getting enough volume to keep the restaurants open? Seems like there is plenty of traffic on Waxpool, but I've seen lots of businesses come and go there.

I agree with Michael Kimmel's initial post. The whole point of the landlord renting out out the space is to make money. If the landlord is not receiving any income from the tenant, then they should be able to do what is necessary to receive it. It does not make sense that ANY tenant is allowed to negotiate rent on their OWN terms. Although the landlord may not have done it in the best fashion, it seems only right for them to do as they see fit. As for the owner of "SAG" - I feel as though this predicament is one that was a long time coming. The treatment that he has received from his landlord is a mirror image of how he treated his employees. It is interesting to me that the major issue at hand is the profit for the Landlord. Pau is simply insuring that he receives his money. Whether it seems irrational, demeaning, or uncompromising, the bottom line is business, which is exactly how Lance Smith ran his previous establishment. His business was solely based on profit, and it was clear that was all that he was interested in. The well being, and welfare of his employees was not his concern.The Landlord is solely about making his profit - regardless of the well being of S.A.G. I worked under Lance Smith for nearly two years, and can count on my hand the amount of times I -as his employee- held a conversation with him. The situation is unfortunate, however, it was only a matter of time before he would have to receive the same treatment he had been bestowing on others.

As much as I love Moe's, I refuse to go into the shopping center, it's too congested in that area and I'd fear for my life trying to get out!
The best idea would have been to put a back entrance/exit that comes out behind the center into the industrial park, near the Post Office. It would be a quick 50ft paving job.

as a Landlord if I gave 6 months free rent and when the first payment was missed and was only sent 1,000 when 18,000 or more was owed I'd shut down the place down asap. How could a business not forecast rent payment and expenses for less then a year? How could investors and or stake holders plan so poorly? With the millions that were spent in opening the restaurant 18,000 is a drop in the bucket and should have been planned and accounted for. You can't expect a restaurant to be profitable right out of the gates and this was obviously a case of poor management and planning.

i will send up a prayer now while court is going on for my friend LANCE everything
will be alright.
doc,

it sucks i worked there lance is a good guy too

For those of you who clearly did not have the whole story, the Judge decided in favor of the Landlord, citing several cases and awarding a decent sum of money