ROSCOE VILLAGE — A neighborhood Cuban restaurant chain has shut down its Roscoe Village location, whereas its Logan Sq. outpost is at the moment closed a minimum of quickly and going through an eviction lawsuit.
90 Miles Cuban Cafe has for a few years operated areas at 3101 N. Clybourn Ave. and 2540 W. Armitage Ave. The Roscoe Village location supplied counter service, whereas its Logan Sq. restaurant is thought for its massive patio for outside eating.
However as of Friday, each areas have been closed — and the Roscoe Village location is not going to be reopening, Kosti Demos, who lately took over managing the eating places, advised Block Membership.
“Clybourn simply misplaced its lease, in order that one needed to go,” Demos stated.
In response to a discover posted on the door at that location, 90 Miles proprietor Alberto Gonzalez owes $28,000 in “accrued and overdue” hire to landlord Marten Properties.
The discover is dated Dec. 20, and gave 90 Miles a five-day window to make the fee or face termination of its tenancy.
On the Logan Sq. location, an indication on the restaurant’s entrance door stated the enterprise “might be closed until Monday, Dec. 30 as a consequence of electrical points.” The restaurant was nonetheless closed on Friday, nonetheless.
Reached by Block Membership Thursday, Demos stated he took over managing the eating places late final 12 months. A fireplace on the Logan Sq. location compelled the restaurant to shut quickly, he stated.
“We had a small hearth at Armitage so we’re closed till we will get the repairs made,” Demos stated.
Relying on the injury and the timeline for repairs, Demos stated the Armitage location may reopen inside seven to 10 days.
In the meantime, property proprietor Northbrook Companions is searching for to take possession of the Armitage property and virtually $62,000 in rental expenses in addition to different charges, based on a lawsuit filed in November. The swimsuit names Gonzalez in addition to Demos and Jerry Mangune as defendants, who the submitting alleges are concerned within the restaurant’s operations.
Demos was introduced on by Gonzalez to assist revive the enterprise after it had been struggling, he stated.
“We took over in a administration settlement to attempt to proper the ship,” Demos stated. “It took us a couple of month and a half to understand that we in all probability weren’t the suitable match to get this factor circled.”
He referred different questions concerning the Logan Sq. location to Gonzalez.
However when Block Membership reached Gonzalez Friday afternoon, the restaurant proprietor stated he has not been concerned with working both 90 Miles location since he signed the administration settlement with Demos in October.
Gonzalez stated he was conscious of the continuing eviction lawsuit however declined to remark particularly on the case.
“I’m not conscious of what’s occurring at Clybourn. And I’m not conscious of what’s occurring at Armitage,” Gonzalez stated. “The one factor that I learn about Armitage is that there was {an electrical} hearth, they usually needed to shut down. It was one thing that occurred with the kitchen electrical.”
“I’ve no management of operations. I’ve no management of financial institution accounts or something,” he added.
Demos stated the “open ended” enterprise settlement between him and Gonzalez is predicted to finish quickly.
“We’ve already began the method of turning operations again to Alberto,” Demos stated. “He’s imagined to take it over once more in early February. Our aim was to put it aside and hopefully maintain this model round, as a result of it’s a beloved model within the metropolis. It doesn’t at all times work out when it comes to matches so hopefully they will discover another person.”
Legal professional Jim Wigoda, who’s representing Northbrook Companions within the eviction case, declined to remark Thursday.
The 90 Miles location on Armitage can also be going through one other main concern: it’s working with out an energetic retail meals institution license, based on a metropolis spokesperson.
On Dec. 1, the town’s Division of Enterprise Affairs and Shopper Safety issued a “Discover to Appropriate” to the restaurant for working with out a license, division spokesperson Elisa Sledzinska stated in an e mail.
When requested concerning the meals license, Demos stated that it was paid “some time in the past.”
“That may’t be true,” he stated. “I’m undecided why that’s developing. The Clybourn one was in all probability relinquished, however we paid Armitage’s license price some time in the past.”
Regardless of the closures, 90 Miles was nonetheless posting content material on its Instagram web page Thursday, and reservations for the Logan Sq. location have been out there to guide on OpenTable from Friday night time onward.
The 90 Miles eating places have been based by the Gonzalez household after they got here from Cuba in 1980. After a stormy 15-hour journey on a shrimp boat, they lastly reached Key West, “90 miles from their beloved Cuba,” homeowners wrote on their web site, and the Cuban eating places are the results of their “American dream.”
The Roscoe Village restaurant opened first, in September 2008. The Logan Sq. restaurant opened in June 2009.
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