The city of Columbus has negotiated a monetary settlement releasing the former owners of Jordy McTaggart’s Grill & Pub from the remainder of a 10-year lease at The Commons.
The Columbus Redevelopment Commission accepted the settlement Tuesday, which calls for Tim Rohrer and Dave Baker, principal shareholders in Jordy’s Inc., to pay a $48,000 settlement to the city to release them from their personal guarantee to fulfill Jordy’s 10-year lease at the downtown Commons.
Redevelopment attorney Stan Gamso said the agreement covers nearly all the $55,000 that would have been owed for back rent, property taxes and other expenses when Jordy’s closed in January.
However, Rohrer and Baker brought a new tenant to the city, Luciana’s Mexican Restaurant and Cantina, which is expected to open in early September — another factor leading to the agreement, Gamso said. Luciana’s is picking up the remaining seven years on the Jordy’s lease.
“We got almost all the rent back and got a new tenant. Good job,” redevelopment commission member George Dutro said to Gamso just before the commission approved the settlement.
The property, at 310 Washington St., has been vacant since January, when Jordy’s shut its doors after operating an Irish pub for nearly three years.
Jordy’s opened in May 2014 in space that had previously been occupied by Scotty’s Burger Joint and then briefly by the Detour American Grille & Bar, each leasing the 5,510-square-foot space from the redevelopment commission.
Jordy McTaggart’s founders Rohrer and Baker had sold the restaurant to Mark Wilcox and his father Richard in 2015, after investing about $500,000 in property improvements in the buildout for the new pub.
In June 2016, the city learned Jordy’s was behind $21,000 in back rent, utilities, property taxes and late fees. Just before the restaurant closed, the city determined the restaurant had remained in arrears, owing about $15,300 in back rent, property taxes and utilities, city records showed.
The original lease for Rohrer and Baker was a monthly rent of $5,051.75 or $60,621 a year, according to lease documents signed by the city prior to Jordy’s opening.
The agreement releases Rohrer and Baker from their personal guarantee and Gamso said Tuesday the city does not plan to pursue any further legal action against Mark and Richard Wilcox over the lease.
Alberto and Sarah Bravo, Indianapolis, received approval in May from the redevelopment commission to open their third Luciana’s Mexican Restaurant and Cantina in the Jordy’s space. They told the commission they are investing $250,000 to $300,000 to renovate the restaurant space and add new equipment. The Bravos are not seeking any financial support from the city for the project.
The restaurant will be the only Mexican food restaurant in the downtown area, located between The Commons playground and Subway on one side and Puccini’s Smiling Teeth Pizza & Pasta on the other.
The couple operate two other Luciana’s locations in Indianapolis, the first which opened in Broad Ripple in September 2015, followed by a location on 82nd Street near the Keystone at the Crossing shopping center.
In addition to having new tenants willing to take over the lease, the city did not have to move out any equipment from the former Jordy’s and did not pay any commission fee to find the new tenants, he said.
