Pride and Joy Restaurateurs Sue Landlord for $22 Million

The restaurateurs behind Pride and Joy BBQ are suing landlord Hayne Suthon for allegedly lying to them about the condition of the space at 24 First Avenue, and trying to evict them for not paying the rent. Last year, Suthon moved her restaurant/drag performance theater Lucky Cheng's out of the space, and the Pride and Joy team moved in. The new restaurateurs allege that Suthon did not allow them to "remove finishes to inspect the structure of the building." The Pride and Joy partners now claim that the building had termite infestations, leaky walls, and other major structural problems, which they've had to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix.

The new tenants stopped paying rent a few months ago. Their lawyer tried to broker a deal on the repair costs, and then Suthon allegedly attempted to evict them. The Pride and Joy team is seeking at least $22 million from Suthon. As you may recall, TV pitmaster Myron Mixon was originally tied to this restaurant, but he jumped ship last year, and then sued his former partners for "trademark infringement, breach of contract, and misappropriation of name and likeness." That case is still ongoing.

The weird part of this story is that Pride and Joy actually hosted a preview event in the space last summer, and the restaurant appeared to be just about ready to go.
· BBQ Joint Sues Lucky Cheng's Owner [DNAinfo]
· All Coverage of Pride & Joy [~ENY~]
[Photo: EV Grieve]