UPDATE MAY 30, 2018
Several days have passed since it showed in the court filings that Kay Diemer Gartrell (the owner of the property at exit 116 formerly known as Ed & Kay’s Restaurant) is suing Bruno Beqiri (the person doing business as Bruno’s Italian Villa a restaurant located at the property). The two parties agreed upon a certain amount of monthly rent for Bruno’s to operate at that location and there was additional rent for using the furnishings and equipment belonging to Gartrell. According to court documents, Beqiri hasn’t paid in full in months, so the arrears and other fees amount to over $31,000.00. Gartrell is suing for the amount owed and for Beqiri and his business to be evicted. According to documents, Beqiri was told to vacate the property but continued to stay.
See the document here: http://arsaline.fidlar.com/ARSaline/ContextePortal.WebService/ContextePortalWebservice.svc/contexte/dms/ck_image.present?DMS_ID=CTX-000000053729
There are currently documents on the door from the Saline County Circuit Clerk and Saline County Sheriff’s Office to vacate.
ORIGINAL MAY 18, 2018
Thursday night, a MySaline reader asked if Bruno’s Italian Villa was closed for good or temporarily. She said she had been by a couple of times that day, and they were closed, so she Googled their hours and found that the times were reflecting her suspicions that they might be closed.
The Facebook page showed no clues except a recent edit on the phone number. However, it’s the same number they have had in the past. Late in the evening, I didn’t call but left a message through their Facebook inbox. I’ve not received a reply from them at this writing.
And then… I did get a clue after looking in the court filings Friday morning. The property owner, Kay Diemer has filed a lawsuit against the restaurant owner, Bruno Beqiri. Not having heard back from the restaurant, I drove over today to see if there might be a notice in the window. All I found was an empty parking lot and a dry erase board out front that said, “Sorry we closed today.”
This isn’t the first time these two parties have had a legal tussle. In February 2016, Diemer sued for back rent in the amount of over $23,000. The parties eventually worked it out and the restaurant stayed. See more in related stories below.
RELATED STORIES:
- Ed & Kay’s Building Owner Suing Italian Restaurant Renter for Thousands in Back in Rent – FEBRUARY 4, 2016
- A Flat Tire, Protesters, Waffling House, Early Voting, Self-Serving Assessor & That New Italian Place – MARCH 9, 2015
- Italian Restaurant Opens in Benton Where Ed & Kay’s Used to Be – MARCH 9, 2015
- Chef at Bruno’s to Open Eatery in Old Ed & Kay’s Location – DECEMBER 2, 2014