Company looks to collect $65,000 from downtown State College restaurant over unpaid bills
A commercial real estate company is seeking nearly $65,000 from a downtown State College restaurant for what it described as unpaid bills, leaving the future of the eatery uncertain.
Building owner Calder Joint Venture alleged Friday in a court filing that BRGR, 122 W. College Ave., has failed to pay its bills and attempts to get caught up have been unsuccessful.
The real estate company, attorney Kathleen Yurchak wrote in the filing, is “entitled to recover possession of the premises.” She declined comment Tuesday when reached by the Centre Daily Times.
A message left with Tuesday with the business was not immediately returned.
The two are about halfway through the initial term of the lease, which covered 11 1/2 years. The pact also included two five-year options.
The initial monthly rent payments amounted to about $100,000 per year. Had the burger joint opted into the rest of the pact, the payments would have increased to about $140,000 per year.
When the restaurant that specializes in gourmet hamburgers and handmade milkshakes opened in September 2019, it was one of several links in the BRGR chain. It had a handful of other locations in western Pennsylvania.
Half a decade later, the downtown State College location is the last one standing.
BRGR opened at the site of the former Citizens Bank building, opting to keep original elements from the century-old building such as the vault and safety deposit boxes as part of its decor.
No hearings in front of a Centre County judge have been scheduled.