UPDATE 2:30 p.m. Thursday: Point Dume Village owner Zan Marquis issued a statement explaining that he's disappointed in the closure, but it was due to the decision of Savory owner Paul Shoemaker. Marquis said Shoemaker had defaulted on rent payments.
ORIGINAL POST: The owner of Savory Restaurant in the Point Dume Village said he decided to shut the restaurant's doors Wednesday following issues with the landlord.
"This is a sad day and one of the hardest decisions I have had to make. I love Malibu and everyone here. We will never forget this amazing experience," Savory owner and executive chef Paul Shoemaker said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon.
Shoemaker and his team fought a long battle with Point Dume Village landlord and Savory part-owner Zan Marquis, according to the statement.
"We would like to thank the entire community and the city of Malibu, all of our guests that have supported us over the last two and a half years, and most of all we would like to thank our incredible and amazing staff," Shoemaker said. "We are so appreciative to have had such a talented, professional and loyal group of employees working with us all of this time."
Shoemaker was not able to gain any resolve with Marquis and he and his team have had to finally give up this fight, according to the statement.
The popular local spot was listed in Los Angeles Magazine's Top 10 Best New Restaurants in 2011, along with being nominated for a 2012 James Beard Award.
The news comes as Point Pizza Malibu is closing its doors in December after Marquis opted not to extend its lease. A rally to protest both the closure of Savory and Point Pizza is set for 4 p.m. Friday at the Point Dume Village, according to organizers.
Property manager Kathryn Natalia said she could not comment on the closure and Marquis could not be immediately reached.
The point is to balance it NOW before we do lose them all. No one is talking about telling landlords what rent to charge, there are legal, fair methods to add protections as many cities across America are doing. Our City must, must, must act now. I agree the clock is ticking down. A beautiful goal would be instead of giving up - as a city start encouraging more independent and unique businesses. Give a hand to new local entrepreneurs - that's what makes a city special and uniquely home. That is what our Lumber Yard was - supposed - to do. Our city needs to get in gear! I agree with you about the greed. It's a very interesting day in Malibu when the Walmart heirs show more compassion and fairness for local businesses then our local landlords.
WHEN WILL THE COUNCIL STAND UP AND TAKE OUR TOWN BACK?!?!?!
And just curious, how can the city encourage small business in Malibu when there is no location to put them in? Also curious about how a city judges who should get the helping hand? In all my business experience I've only seen businesses succeed who can entice the public to buy enough of their product to turn a profit. How can a city help with that? Maybe the city could give it's "choosen" small businesses free advertising, that would be a start. Thanks for listening
Buy at and support your local businesses Malibu, in the biggest way you can, help them to survive or let them go, keep local economy alive. Your dollars are their power.
Again, I don't know exactly what happened nor do any of us. I do know that a landlord can't boot someone before their lease is up unless there are some very extraordinary circumstances.
Too much to get into here and this Savory's moment! And you're right our spending $$$ is this community's power!
Being evicted because you don't fit the image is a big problem, you've pin-pointed something there. I think big money wants deep pockets. Isn't the new-old Malibu the same thing? No conspiracy, in my opinion, just folks not realizing the power of their dollars. Here's a question we can ask ourselves...... how far we will go to support our small businesses? I know members of this community that go out of their way to support a small business they love. And can we spend our dollars in Malibu to keep our local economy alive? Thanks everyone...
2 + 2 = ?
My 2 cents
The idea that Marquis evicted him is totally false.
MIKE SCHMIT '
In the interest of fairness and Truth I Respectfully urge you to look further into this (peel back the onion) so that you can substantiate the accusations you are setting forth. It is strange, actually, that this relationship between landlord and tenant is being aired in the public. It's not fair to either party. From what I have heard from very reliable sources, Zan was quite generous in the way he structured this landlord/tenant relationship. It will likely surprise you. Again, this whole thing is personal between Zan and the owner of Savory's. Let's not burn anyone at the stake without all the information. Who among us would want to live in a workd like that. As someone on the Patch said recently "a lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put its pants on." People's lives rest in the balance. I enjoyed Savory and I wish the owner the best in his next endeavor.
This statement is completely false, as Savory has already stated they would show their accounting records to prove that they were and always have been up to date on their rent in the time they have been there!