'Three Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit' posted on former Old Town Elk Grove Slow and Low restaurant
https://www.elkgrovenews.net/2025/03/notice-to-pay-rent-back-rent-posted-on.html
UPDATED |
A visit to the former Old Town Elk Grove restaurant Slow and Low revealed a notice posted on the door by the building's owner.
The "Three Day Notice To Pay Rent or Quit" notice was posted on February 24. It notifies the principal of the now-closed Slow and Low restaurant, Mr. Michael Hargis, that the facility's rent has yet to be paid.
The notices say that Hargin owes rent for January and February. Including the back rent, late fees, and furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E), Hargis is said to owe the landlord, D & S Development of Sacramento, $71,534.
The Slow and Low restaurant opened to substantial hype by the city of Elk Grove last May as a keystone to transforming the Old Town-Historic Downtown Elk Grove special planning area into a significant regional draw. Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen said the long-beleaguered neighborhood could become a major tourist attraction similar to San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter.
In addition to the hype by the city's economic development director, Darrell Doan, the city provided Hargis with a $500,000 loan guarantee. Elk Grove city manager Jason Berhrmann was contacted via email to see if this notice affects the loan guarantee.
When the restaurant ceased operation in late December, it was announced that noted Bay Area restauranteur Matthew Horn of Horn Barbeque would take over the space and begin operating by early March. This morning's visit to the site showed no activity that Horn Barbeque has initiated remodeling or retrofitting, which would indicate it is not close to opening.
Horn Barbeque's Instagram page announced the restaurant's opening in Elk Grove would be in February. However, the page has not been updated since January 18 (see below).
Behrmann has not responded to the inquiry as of this posting. This story will be updated if a response is received.
After Slow and Low closed, Behrmann said during a city council meeting that the change of restaurant operators did not put taxpayers at risk. See Behrmann's comments in the video below.
UPDATE, March 6 |
Yesterday afternoon, Elk Grove city manager Jason Behrmann responded to an email inquiry asking, "Does this notice for Mr. Hargis in any way affect the status of the loan guarantee extended to Mr. Hargis by the city of Elk Grove?"
Berhmann's email said the following:
"No. This appears to be related to the lease payment,
which the City has no involvement."
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2 comments
The city manager in the video says the loan is secured in part by the fixtures inside the restaurant. The landlord's quit notice says that Hargis the Hustler owes them $33k for FF&E - fixtures, furniture and equipment. So, who actually gets to foreclose on the FF&E - the city or the landlord?
With each passing day, it looks like the city played into the Hargis's confidence game!
Just more money mismanagement on this mayor's watch. Remember her, the one who can't seem to pay her taxes and has numerous IRS tax liens on her home? The same mayor who demanded the city build a $330M zoo with very little funding procured. Old Town is likely to be labeled a "Gasfire Quarter" rather than the Gaslamp Quarter when the facts of the Hargis experiment are finally exposed.
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