Owners of Westwood sandwich shop Ike’s Place sued
The owners of Ike’s Place sandwich restaurant on Westwood Boulevard are being sued for failing to pay rent. (Brandon Choe/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Fernando Aquino
April 10, 2014 1:21 a.m.
A real estate company that owns buildings in Westwood sued Ike’s Place sandwich shop to evict the restaurant’s owners for failing to pay rent for its location in Westwood Village.
The lawsuit filed this month states that the owners of the Westwood sandwich restaurant breached their lease agreement by failing to pay rent for the months of February and March – $18,000 per month. The restaurant has not opened since its current owners moved into the space.
The west side of Westwood Boulevard where Ike’s Place sits is owned by Cal-American Corporation, a realty company that father and son Fred and Chris Hameetman manage.
Lloyd Sugarman, CEO of a chain of soup restaurants called The Original Soupman, is leasing the space withRobert Azinian. They will be required to pay for the restitution of realty and the lease would be forfeited if they lose the case. They may face other penalties as well, according to the lawsuit document.
Sugarman and Azinian are currently not allowed to enter the Ike’s Place establishment under the conditions of the lawsuit. They do, however, still own the restaurant.
Azinian and Sugarman could not be reached for comment.
Ike Shehadeh, the founder of 10 Ike’s Place chain sandwich shops in Northern California, said in January that he is no longer affiliated with the Ike’s Place sandwich restaurant on Westwood Boulevard near Wilshire Boulevard. He added that he did not give Azinian and Sugarman permission to use his recipes.
High rent has been pushing businesses out of Westwood for the past several years.
Bob Grewal, Subway franchisee and development agent for the pacific region of the chain, is the owner of 1,100 Subway restaurants, including those in Ackerman Union, Pauley Pavilion and Westwood Village. Cal-American Corporation was his landlord for property on Kinross Avenue for 25 years and had gradually increased the cost of his lease.
In the lease renewal, he was expected to pay for patio space and downstairs storage, which were included in the rent before, he said. Grewal said he was frustrated with the extra costs, and walked away from the location to move across the street with a different landlord.
Cal-American Corporation did not respond to our multiple requests for comment by phone and email.
According to court documents, Ike’s Place’s rent and other costs will continue to accumulate until the court hearing, totaling $90,000.
The court hearing is scheduled for September.
