Times Square Buffalo Wild Wings Sued For $3M In Back Rent, Taxes
Another Times Square retailer is being sued, this time for rent that its landlord claims went unpaid months before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
An affiliate of Friedland Properties claims the owner of the Buffalo Wild Wings at 253 West 47th St. owes it $3M plus interest in monthly rent, taxes and other fees that have gone unpaid between July 2019 and Jan. 1, 2021, according to a complaint filed against the national chain last week.
The restaurant terminated its lease in October 2020 and agreed to pay any outstanding rent debt, which the landlord claims it hasn't yet received despite attempts to collect the money, according to the lawsuit.
Now, Friedland, through the entity 253 W. 47th LLC, is requesting the Supreme Court of New York force the owner of the restaurant, FMFS of Times Square LLC, to hand over the outstanding balance in addition to its legal fees.
The Buffalo Wild Wings franchisee inked a lease for 15K SF at the location in 2013 and paid nearly $102K per month. It agreed to give the space back to the landlord last year upon ending the lease, according to the lawsuit.
A spokesperson for Buffalo Wild Wings, which has over 900 locations nationwide, said the company doesn't comment on pending litigation involving franchisees. Friedland’s attorney, Rosenberg & Estis litigator Deborah Riegel, said the landlord wouldn't comment beyond the lawsuit.
This is one of the largest monetary sums demanded among a slew of lawsuits that landlords have lodged against their tenants over the past 10 months. Vornado sued its Times Square tenant U.S. Polo Association in August, alleging $1.1M in unpaid rent, and JEMB Realty sued H&M claiming it owed $4 in rent at its Herald Square store.
