Narsi’s Hof-Brau still fighting

If
you’ve been following the ongoing saga of Coddingtown’s Narsi Samii,
you’ve probably got an opinion one way or the other. If not, let me sum
it up for you: The long-time mall eatery is facing eviction by new
co-owners to make way for a Cheesecake Factory.

The move is in line with Simon Property Group’s attempt to modernize the outdated Coddingtown mall. The addition of a Whole Foods grocery is indicative of the kind of clientèle they’re going for.

The fight boils down to the
fact that Narsi has put a significant amount of money into the
restaurant over the years and claims he was told he’d have what amounts
to a perpetual lease on the spot from Hugh Codding. He’s not looking to
budge.A trial to decide the fate of the restaurant is set for August 22, according to Narsi.

But the question has to be asked: Why is Narsi putting up huge amounts of his own money to fight the corporate giant? Why
not just move? Though Narsi claims to feed between 250 and 400 folks a
day, he says business is way down due to the economy. The
traditional-style buffet is a draw for many senior citizens — the sort
of spot folks go for a cup of coffee and pastry in the morning or an
early bird plate of roast beef, mashed potatoes and carrots. Not
exactly the wheat grass smoothie or pear and endive salad crowd.

Narsi plans to fight on. He
realizes that going to trial is a huge gamble, but says he’s 99.9%
confident he’ll prevail. “They’re trying to force me out,” he says.
What peaked BiteClub’s interest in the whole argument was what appears
to be some significant action on a chef employment website for a
local cook who’s been involved with several other Cheesecake Factory
openings. Maybe nothing. Maybe a hint that things are heating up.

If Narsi loses the fight, he claims that the other local restaurateurs in the mall, including Fresh China and Sukura (both BiteClub faves) will face similar fights. That’s yet to be seen. What’s your take on the fight?

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