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Five Brothers Pizza is losing its lease and will be moving elsewhere on Marco. The restaurant’s owners, John and Huguette Nachef, were notified in September by the lawyer for Marco Walk owner Leon Agami.
The lawyer’s letter reads, in part, “The purpose of this letter is to inform you that the landlord will not (be) in a position to renew your lease.
“Unfortunately circumstances do not permit the renewal.”
Nachef says he’s had no explanation of those “circumstances.” Nachef had been trying for months to get a new lease, but in early summer, he hit a roadblock.
“He wanted to charge us almost 30 percent more a square foot in a new lease, than the three new restaurants in the courtyard are paying in their recently signed leases.
“He also demanded a clause that we had to give him 50 percent of our profits if we sell the business, minus some minor expenses.
“I told him that would never happen. I said my wife would never give him one ounce of her sweat and blood and that I’d never heard of such a thing in my life.”
The Nachefs had no official notice their lease would not be renewed until the lawyer’s letter a month ago.
CHRIS CURLE / Eagle staff
Five Brothers Pizza, a popular restaurant at Marco Walk near Marco Movies, apparently will have to find a new location soon. The Nachefs say Marco Walk’s owner won’t renew their lease.
“We’re being used as a scapegoat by Agami for his code problems with the city and that’s just not fair,” says Nachef. “We haven’t done anything wrong.”
City Planner Bryan Milk says Agami has two opportunities to get Marco Walk into compliance. He can ask the city for a variance to cover the 430 sq. ft. overage on restaurant space or he can be incompliance if one of the food vendors leaves.
On an unrelated matter, Milk says Agami has made significant improvements to Marco Walk’s façade, landscaping and accessibility. I tried to reach Agami by phone last Thursday and Friday. I left four messages requesting a return call on this issue. On the fifth try he answered and when I identified myself, he said, “I want you to stop calling me. This is a Jewish holiday. I do not wish to talk to you, please stop calling me.”
I apologized for calling on a holiday, explaining that I didn’t know about it, and asked whether I could phone him after the holiday.
“I don’t want to speak to you, not today, not tomorrow, not ever. Thank you. And if you bother me I will have my lawyer contact you guys.” He hung up.
Courtesy Koszo Productions
The poster says it all — the Witches Express will be cruising Marco Oct. 26 for Halloween and the Upon a Star Foundation.
The Nachefs, angry but realistic, are looking for a new site for Five Brothers.
“We’re hoping Agami might give us enough time to find another place,” Nachef says. “We’d be happy to pay him month-to-month on the lease at $22 a square foot to get through the relocation process.”
Marco Witches On Wheels (and brooms) for charity
“Woman like to dress up on Halloween but men don’t, it’s true,” says a friend of mine. “But the guys sure like to hang out with the girls who do.”
Submitted photo
Do you recognize this well-known Marco resident from a photo of him as a child? No, it’s not the Geico caveman. He’s one of 12 Islanders in Orion Bank’s contest to guess the grownups from long-ago photos. You can play Guess the Grownup at Orion Bank and possibly win some valuable U.S. Savings Bonds. You don’t have to be an Orion Bank client to stop in and check it out. The contest ends Friday. Orion Bank is on Bald Eagle at Elkcam Circle.
That bit of witchery wisdom could be the theme of a light-hearted and good-hearted Halloween season here this year. On Oct. 26, a Marco Trolley full of Islander women dressed as various sorts of witches will tool around the island, stopping at 10 or more bars and restaurants, entertaining the winers and diners and raising money for the Upon a Star Foundation.
Co-founder of “Beware, the Witches Are Coming,” Michelle Jordan, says the women can join the fun for a $50 donation.
“We want them to be costumed creatively she says. So any style witch will be great, as long as the costumes feature a hat and a broom as bare minimum. Get it? The party will begin at 6 p.m. at Nacho Mama’s and will end at Guy Harvey’s at the Esplanade. Also confirmed so far are Arturo’s and Marco Polo. Other stops on the Witches trolley tour will be announced soon.
For more information, call Michelle at 272-3090.
Lights! Ovens! Action! A restaurant update
As we inch closer to the end of our slow season, more Marco restaurants are re-opening.
Vergina at the Esplanade reopened a week ago yesterday. Vergina’s view of Smokehouse Bay is one of the best water views in town.
Marek’s Collier House on Bald Eagle Drives plans to reopen Oct. 24.
Sasso’s on Winterberry Drive is planning a Nov. 1 opening.
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Don’s email: don@donfarmer.com.
Comments
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John & Huguette:
Lousy deal! But every setback brings a new opportunity with it. You make wonderful food. Even the baklava is better than any I've eaten in a restaurant (even if it's no match for mine or my grandmother's! Never brought Huguette the sample I promised her. Sorry.)
You will emerge stronger and better than ever. Tell this out-of-compliance turkey landlord where to get off and move out! Interesting, though, that Captain Brien's doesn't have the same problem. Wonder why that is?
Ed Foster
#1 Posted by EdFoster on October 10, 2007 at 1:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Marco Walk's loss. Hopefully 5 Brothers finds a place close to their current location because my trips to the beach wouldn't be complete without a walk to 5 Brothers afterward.
#2 Posted by IHeartMarcoIsland on October 10, 2007 at 3:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Five Brothers Pizza is a terrific establishment run by people who define the term "class act." Obviously, Mr. Agami is the worst-of-the-worst as a commercial landlord -- an unethical, unprofessional bully. I hope the City of Marco Island has a field day bullying him around because the lack of parking at Marco Walk is not only out of compliance, it's out of control.
#3 Posted by Eagleeye on October 10, 2007 at 7:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
bill strikes again for brien..
#4 Posted by van on October 11, 2007 at 9:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Who is this Agami character anyway? Agami is an Israeli Jew and the owners of Five Brothers are Lebanese...kicking them out coincidence?? I think not!
Five Brothers is one of our favorite places with GREAT food. I sure hope they open up somewhere else real soon! Don't let the illegitimate get you down; you don't need to be around such a despicable, classless individual like Agami anyway!
#5 Posted by ejburger on October 12, 2007 at 5:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Mr. Farmer was completely out of line by repeatedly calling a landlord on the holiest day of the year. Rubbish that you did not know that. After all, it was even mentioned in the paper you work for, or do you not read the paper???? Why does the Marco Eagle SUPPORT such behavior? The real bully is the newspaper and Mr. Farmer. Mr. Farmer, no comment means just that, no comment. Move on, go to your next victim. Why don't you give us your phone number so that we can call you on Christmas or Easter?
If a tenant does not like the terms of the lease, they should leave. Mr. Nachef does not like the terms of the lease, and from what I heard, they had already reserved multiple booths at the Big Cypress Marketplace a long time ago because they want cheap rent. You can't expect to have cheap rent, at a plaza where there has been so much transformation and money put into the plaza. The plaza was dead, literally dead, except for the movie theatre 5 years ago. Count the people that come to the plaza now, 100% attributed to the success of Leon Agami's expertise in knowing how to run a shopping center that benefits everyone, most of all, his tenants.
So, the fact is that Five Brothers was looking to leave anyway. Complaining about the rent and wailing during the departure, summoning news reporters to telephone landlords on holy days, is mighty unprofessional. The other restaurants are 5-6 times the size, and pay 5-6 times as much. It's like comparing apples and oranges if you want to compare Five Brothers size and scale with a restaurant like DaVinci's. I eat dinner outside at all the restaurants a lot, and the only tenants that I've ever seen screaming at the landlord are the Five Brothers tenants. It's actually embarrassing! Class? I think not.
Five Brothers I wish you luck whereever you go, you will do well in a location that you feel positive about, and apparently Marco Walk Plaza does not give you positive energy. But, perhaps your new blockade to address would be with the Basiks, the developers of the Marketplace. Sorry they are not opening up on time, that's what you're really upset about.
P.S. I hear everyone talk about the parking problem and what most people fail to remember is that there is a ton of parking right under the plaza, lots of spaces, and most of them empty. There's also a parking lot across the street on Winterberry. If you can't find a spot readily, use the valet service.
Oh, for the best baklava, you must go to Zorba's Restaurant up on Bonita Beach Road. For the best pizza, I would try Da Vinci's at Marco Walk Plaza.
#6 Posted by marcoeagletoo on October 29, 2007 at 11:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Nachefs you got rolled by the Moss-Capt Brien connection. Capt Briens sucks anyways, their spot will be available in less than a year maybe you can move in there
#7 Posted by exposed on October 30, 2007 at 10:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
FOR THE RECORD LEON IS A LEBANESE JEW SO YOUR ALLEGATIONS ARE WITHOUT MERIT...AND FIVE BROTHERS IS A CHEAPO WHO BECAUSE OF HIS LACK OF CLASS AND HUMANITY HAS BEEN KICKED OUT THIS PLAZA..ALL HE DID WAS COMPLAIN AND AGAMI HAS BEEN MORE THEN NICE TO HIM..THE CENTER IS TRYING TO ELEVATE ITSELF AND GET BETTER AND FIVE BROTHERS WAS BRINGING IT DOWN..SO KUDOS TO MR. AGAMI FOR PUTTING YOURSELF ON THE LINE AND TAKING THE $5000 PLUS A MONTH HIT BECAUSE THE SPACE WILL NOW BE VACANT BUT IN EXCHANGE GET SOME PEACE AND QUIET..OBVIOSULY IT IS WORTH MORE THEN THE HEADACHE 5 BROTHERS WAS GIVING...
#8 Posted by sharoni345 on November 5, 2007 at 9:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
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