Restaurant owners dunned by city landlord

Editor’s note: This story has been updated.

The city of Columbus is having problems with payments from another restaurant in The Commons.

The city, through the redevelopment commission, acts as a landlord for the tenants in the city owned building in downtown Columbus. Last week, the redevelopment commission attorney, Stan Gamso, sent a letter to the owners of Jordy McTaggart’s urging the owners to catch up on rent and other fees.

Mary Ferdon, the city’s Executive Director of Administration and Community Development, explained that that the notice is only a first warning letter and is not a termination or eviction notice.

After receiving the letter, the company owners paid about $7,700 of their past due $21,000. They also pledged to pay more next week, says Heather Pope, the city’s redevelopment director.

The city has had previous problems with tenants in The Commons including nonpayment of rent by the former Snappy Tomato owner Larkin & Company and a contract dispute with Jordy McTaggart’s predecessor, Scotty’s Burger Joint. The city also had similar problems with Bistro 310, which operated in the Jackson Street parking garage, also owned by the city.