Olive Tree Bistro and Chelsea’s Bar and Grill will be gone by the end of the month

Wednesday3:31 p.m.

WICHITA — The Olive Tree Bistro and Chelsea’s Bar and Grill will be gone from 29th and Rock by the end of November.

Latour Management is being evicted from the space, where it’s been since Antoine Toubia, the late founder of the company, moved there in 1987.

Latour is being evicted for what the landlord says is nonpayment of rent.

Latour president Joumana Toubia, Antoine’s sister, says she stopped paying because of maintenance issues.

Toubia is throwing a party for customers from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

“We’re inviting our patrons to come and celebrate our legacy,” she says.

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , Filed under Evictions, Restaurants | Comments (10)

Corporate Caterers of Wichita looking to expand

Nov. 13, 20096:06 a.m.

WICHITA — Ben Arnold is looking to expand his Corporate Caterers of Wichita.

“Our main goal was just to build a building,” he says.

But with the current state of commercial lending, he says, “There’s absolutely no way.”

Arnold now has 8,700 square feet at Douglas and West.

He’s looking at taking 3,400 square feet Accent Bridal & Tux is vacating two doors down. But he wants more.

“We’re trying to put a deal together,” he says.

That wasn’t Arnold’s original first choice of locales, though. He wanted downtown or the east side.

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Catering, Leases, Real estate, Restaurants | Comments (4)

Piccadilly Market & Grill future is uncertain

Nov. 10, 20094:17 p.m.

WICHITA — The future of Olive Tree Bistro and Chelsea’s Bar and Grill isn’t the only thing up in the air for Latour Management.

There are reports that Walter Morris Cos., Latour’s landlord for Piccadilly Market & Grill at Central and Rock, is now showing the space to other possible tenants.

Latour president Joumana Toubia says that’s true. But she adds, “I want you to know that Piccadilly is a viable option for us.”

She’s not sure what will happen with the space in the new year.

“They asked us if we’re ready to commit,” Toubia says of signing a new lease. “I said I need a little bit of time. I’m not ready.”

Her Olive Tree and Chelsea’s are being evicted from Comotara Center at 29th and Rock.

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , Filed under Evictions, Leases, Real estate, Restaurants | Comments (10)

Joumana Toubia responds to eviction

Nov. 4, 20096:50 p.m.

WICHITA — Olive Tree Restaurant Corp. president Joumana Toubia has more to say regarding the eviction notice for her restaurants — Olive Tree Bistro, its banquet hall and Chelsea’s Bar and Grill.

Toubia was busy with an event Tuesday afternoon and didn’t have time to respond to attorney Jeff Kennedy’s comments about why her businesses are being evicted.

Today, in an e-mailed response, Toubia said her rent has been paid up to September but that she then stopped paying after that due to problems with the property that have not been adequately addressed.

“The unwillingness of the landlord to fulfill its obligations to repair or replace fundamental services to the building for a period in excess of two years is, from our point of view, certainly a significant issue. Rainwater pouring through the ceiling into buckets is a much better way to describe what the landlord characterizes as ‘moisture problem’. We have lived with these problems repeatedly, to the extent that they are no longer tolerable. Whatever representations the landlord has made to remedy our issues since we quit paying rent in September remain inadequate.”

Both sides say there is much more to come.

We’ll keep you posted.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , Filed under Evictions, Restaurants | Comments (3)

Olive Tree and Chelsea’s are being evicted

Nov. 3, 200912:03 p.m.

WICHITA — It looks like there’s more to the Olive Tree Bistro story than the Toubia sisters are telling.

According to a lawyer who represents the landlords for the Olive Tree Bistro and Chelsea’s Bar and Grill, the restaurants are being evicted.

“We filed an eviction petition . . . a week ago,” says Jeff Kennedy of Martin Pringle. “They’re not paying their rent.”

Kennedy says Latour Management, which owns the restaurants and banquet facility at 29th and Rock, is more than $60,000 behind in rent.

“In January, that’s when we started having problems with them paying their rent on a timely basis,” he says.

Latour president Joumana Toubia says there are problems with the condition of the building.

Kennedy says some of the property condition issues Latour has raised are nonissues, such as moisture problems that occurred during roof repairs. He says those have been corrected.

As for some of the other issues, Kennedy says, “The management company was perfectly willing to resolve them, but they would not pay their rent.”

He says: “Anytime you get into a situation like this, somebody is going to look for excuses why they’re not paying their rent.”

The restaurants are open for now.

“That’s something that we’re talking about,” Kennedy says.

It’s not clear when they will close or where they may reopen.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Evictions, Leases, Restaurants | Comments (22)

Olive Tree Bistro to move, but where?

Nov. 3, 200910:57 a.m.

WICHITA — After years of flirting with leaving their Olive Tree Bistro space at 29th and Rock, Joumana and Randa Toubia have finally decided to do it.

In a recent letter to customers, the sisters said with “deep regret and great sadness” they decided to move.

“We have great interest in relocating to the heart of the city but are not ready to announce our new location just yet,” the letter said. “However, we can say, we are absolutely committed to honoring the reservations on our books by helping to move events to mutually agreed upon venues and to provide the catering.”

In a statement to Have You Heard?, Joumana Toubia today said:

“After several months of attempts to effect a rehabilitation and betterment of the premises at 29th and Rock Road, continuing operations at The Olive Tree Bistro, Chelsea’s Bar & Grill and the associated Banquet Facility have unfortunately become threatened due to irreconcilable issues with the property owners. Until a satisfactory resolution is achieved, we are committed to finding alternate venues to fulfill the current contracts we have scheduled for our banquet services and facilities. Other Latour Management, Inc. food service operations, including those at the Piccadilly Markets, Bagatelle Bakery and The Olive Tree’s catering service, will not be interrupted.”

The Toubias’ landlord couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Check back for more information throughout the day.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , Filed under Leases, Restaurants | Comments (3)