Kansas City Country Club Plaza sues 2 longtime restaurants for almost $900K in rent
The Country Club Plaza has filed lawsuits against two of its longtime restaurant tenants — Buca di Beppo and Brio Italian Grille.
▪ The Plaza filed suit in the Circuit Court of Jackson County in mid-October against Buca Restaurants Inc. The lease is for 10,405 square feet at 310 W. 47th St. The Plaza says Buca owes $556,324 in outstanding rent, and it also is seeking possession of the space.
Buca di Beppo opened in the basement space in mid-2001.
▪ The Plaza also is suing Bravo Brio Restaurants LLC, formerly owned by FoodFirst Global Restaurants Inc., in the Circuit Court of Jackson County. Brio opened in the 17,200-square-foot space at 502 Nichols Road in 2004.
The Plaza said it is owed $329,614 as of Oct. 11.
A Plaza spokeswoman said they would have no comment on pending litigation.
Managers at the two restaurants directed calls to Earl Enterprises, but corporate officials did not return phone calls or emails.
According to RestaurantNews, a trade publication, Earl Enterprises acquired Brio Italian Grille and Bravo Italian Kitchen from FoodFirst Global Restaurants in mid-2020. Along with Buca di Beppo, Earl Enterprises also has Planet Hollywood and other brands.
In other Plaza updates, its June lawsuit against Cupcakin Bakery and August suit against Legacy Venture West Development LLC have been dismissed. But its January suit against former tenant Barton Perreira is still pending.
This story was originally published November 3, 2021 at 11:53 AM.