Is Landlord Steve Croman Now Meddling in Restaurants?

Yassir Zraouli, owner of Moroccan restaurant Rustic LES which was forced to shutter a few weeks ago, is now blaming building owner Steve Croman. Zraouli tells Eater that "Since the beginning, the store was met with a series of issues, and the owner reneged on many contractual obligations citing construction delays and outside agency interference." Croman is notorious for his shady dealings as a landlord. Earlier this summer he was forced to return $57,075 to Gabrielle Hamilton for a restaurant she invested in that never panned out. Croman, as Bowery Boogie points out, however, is better known for his bad dealings with, and harassment of, residential tenants, not commercial ones. State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has launched a probe into Croman's tactics.