Sandwich Shop Eviction Moves Forward
Beloved sushi restaurant might get kicked out too
The saga of San Francisco’s über-popular sandwich shop Ike’s Place has taken a new turn, and might now include a new casualty: a longtime, beloved sushi restaurant.
Ike's is tiny – just a doorway with a kitchen – but the eatery has become a foodie phenomenon, attracting hordes of hungry fans. Neighbors complained that the popularity of Ike’s disturbed their lives. Dennis Drobisch, landlord of the building that houses Ike’s on 16th Street in the Castro, began eviction proceedings earlier this year after four upstairs neighbors threatened to sue.
Now the landlord is taking a new approach.
The shop is actually located in a subleased back room of Daimaru Sushi, which has had permits to operate as a full-service restaurant since 1998.
Ike Shehadeh, the owner of the sandwich shop, said he received an e-mail on June 9 from Drobisch’s lawyer, Arlene Helfrich, saying, “We intend to pursue termination” of the Daimaru Sushi lease, “which will result in the sub-tenant’s loss of possession.”
The e-mail said that subletting the space to Ike’s led to “multiple violations” of Daimaru’s lease. However, the two instances cited involved permits and the use of a storage space — not the disruption neighbors have complained about.
The e-mail also tells the sandwich shop to halt installation of a ventilation system. “We continue to encourage Mr. Shehadeh to find an alternative location for his business,” it says.
Attorney Helfrich did not respond to requests for an interview. In the past she has said, “My practice is to refrain from comment on active matters.” A message left for Jerry Chau, the leaseholder for Daimaru, was not returned.
“I think it is unfair and wrong,” said Shehadeh, who is fighting the eviction. “If Mr. Drobisch wants to spend a lot of money in court just to end up losing a decision there, that's his prerogative.”
But if the eviction proceeds, San Francisco will lose a corner that has been a destination for diners for a dozen years.
voltairesmistress
Ike's is a treasure for anyone that doesn't have to live above it. Mr. Shehadeh's point of view has been that prior tenants shouldn't expect peace, quiet, and sweet smelling air. Or they should just readjust their attitude.
Move the sandwich shop to a space able to accommodate cooking and crowds. Mr. Shehadeh, your devoted customers will follow you.
Your pursuit of your "rights" to the bitter end is now threatening the survival of another person's business -- the small restaurant owner who subleased you the little subspace in the first place. It's not your principles you're defending at this point; it's your intransigence.
Susie Cagle
Just because those tenants might expect "peace, quiet, and sweet smelling air" doesn't mean they're entitled to it by their lease agreements. The city doesn't make special arrangements for people who once chose to live above commercial spaces but are now troubled because those spaces have become more popular. Or hell, it certainly shouldn't, or else we're just going to see more and more NIMBY actions like these citywide, and fewer and fewer successful small businesses run by local residents.
voltairesmistress
Susie, I would tend to agree with you most of the time about supporting small or large businesses and combating Nimbyism. And you are right that when one moves in above a commercial space, one has to be prepared for it to be put to use in a variety of ways. In this one case, however, it seems that the sandwich shop expanded its services without an ability (or permits) to handle what ensued. The impact on everyone else seems to have gone beyond what anyone anticipated early on. Ike's seems to have the crowds more appropriate to take-away AND sit-down burrito place, and I think it may need a bigger space to accommodate its much deserved success.