Tempe entrepreneur Amandeep Sandhu said she’s run out of options.
Sandhu, who owns Plaid Eatery at 1044 S. Terrace Road in Tempe with her husband Raj Singh, started a hunger strike on Thursday.
View map of Plaid Eatery location
She and her husband began protesting outside the Tempe offices of Avenue Communities, accusing the developer of destroying their only chance to salvage their livelihoods.
The couple said their restaurant has long been in trouble as ongoing light-rail construction has driven their customers away. Singh and Sandhu thought their troubles were over in May when they found an interested buyer who was willing to pay $30,000 for the business. The only thing they say they need now is for Avenue Communities to transfer the lease to the buyer.
“We have no other options,” Singh said. “We don’t have money to hire a lawyer.”
Singh and Sandhu said Avenue Communities, which wants to build condo towers on the property, has been stonewalling the couple over the lease transfer since late May because they’d rather see the couple declare bankruptcy than have to pay off a new owner when the developer starts construction.
The couple went into their second day of protesting on Friday by displaying large signs that said “Hunger Strike!” and “Ave. Communities Crushin’ Small Biz!” directly across the street from the company’s offices at Ash Avenue and Fifth Street in Tempe.
Avenue Communities officials declined to go into detail on the matter, saying in a written statement, “This is a private matter between 1010 E. Lemon, LLC as a landlord and Plaid Eatery as a tenant. We are happy to communicate with them on a professional level.”
The landlord, 1010 E. Lemon, LLC, is a subsidiary of Avenue Communities, which is building the 30-story Centerpoint Condominiums in downtown Tempe.
Sandhu said she will continue her hunger strike outside Avenue Communities’ offices until the couple get what they want from the company.
“I just feel that I’m just going to die here,” she said.
On Friday the couple said they were joined by customers and business owners who wanted to demonstrate their support.
“I came out because I’m tired of seeing neighborhoods destroyed,” said Drew Sullivan, a Tempe resident.
He said he’s tired of what he sees as big developers hurting small businesses as they pursue big profits.
Sandhu and Singh aren’t the only tenants who have complaints against the developer.
Other business owners said the company has been neglectful of the property.
KJ Jabr, manager of K&H Devil Wash in the same shopping plaza as the restaurant, said the owners have been neglecting things like the area’s landscaping for quite some time and that along with lightrail construction has been hurting business.
David Woodfill, Tribune
