<img title="Vendors who claim to have not been paid in full" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/2018/feb/Vendors.jpg" alt="Vendors who claim to have not been paid in full" /> Vendors who claim to have not been paid in full
Summerhouse Caf&eacute; at the Mathuradas Mills Compound, the Lower Parel maze that houses upscale food &amp; beverage establishments, shut shop early this year. The entrepreneurs who used to run the restaurant have left for Delhi, leaving dues to be paid to staffers, vendors and the owner of the space, Pranav Mehta, say those waiting for their money.
<img title="At the Summerhouse Cafe space" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/2018/feb/Summerhouse-Cafe.jpg" alt="At the Summerhouse Cafe space" /> At the Summerhouse Cafe space
Mehta, a Shivaji Park resident who had given his 5,000 sqft space, said, "I also have to get money. I used the space as a godown earlier; I had a denim fabrics business." He decided to rent out the space after seeing the area's ecology changing. Gone was the stodgy image of Parel, with its chimneys belching black smoke. Parrrrrel (roll those 'r's) was transforming into a hip hangout. The go-to crowd went there to gab over eclectic grub and drinks, bob to the beats at music concerts and swing to DJ nights. They attended poetry readings there, or mixed with bohemian advertising types, who thought of catchlines while sipping cutting chai and taking clients out to lunch on quinoa.
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<img title="Summerhouse Cafe" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/2018/feb/Summerhouse-Cafe-a.jpg" alt="Summerhouse Cafe" /> Summerhouse Cafe
Let's start In April 2016, Mehta got into a leave and licence agreement with New Touch Caf&eacute; (that has the Summerhouse Caf&eacute; brand) for five years. All went smooth that year; the smooth sailing, however, was deceptive. "September 2017 onwards, the licencee (Summerhouse) stopped paying rent. Messages and calls went unheeded. I sent a legal notice in November 2017, demanding that the property be vacated. That too went unheeded. In early January, several employees and vendors were outside the caf&eacute; asking for dues. Some of the employees then put a lock on the caf&eacute; door. Summerhouse vacated the premises two days after that. They did pay something to the employees, I am not sure what. But I am the licensor, I have to get Rs 26 lakh from them in TDS," Mehta added.
<img title="Owner of the space Pranav Mehta with a few aggrieved vendors at the now empty Summerhouse Cafe. Pics/Ashish Raje" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/2018/feb/Pranav-Mehta.jpg" alt="Owner of the space Pranav Mehta with a few aggrieved vendors at the now empty Summerhouse Cafe. Pics/Ashish Raje" /> Owner of the space Pranav Mehta with a few aggrieved vendors at the now empty Summerhouse Cafe. Pics/Ashish Raje
Recovery pains "I have filed a cheque-bouncing case under section 138 against the person running the caf&eacute; (for non-payment of rent). Laws in India are toothless when it comes to money recovery," said Mehta. "It is such a complicated and expensive process. I have gone to great lengths and taken pains to see that my record is clean. Summerhouse had not even replied to the legal notices I sent. That means you reward the law-breakers and punish those who abide by the law."
Hermit Sethi of an event management firm said, "Summerhouse Caf&eacute; owes me R75,000 for a DJ night that took place last October. The artiste's fees were R1.5 lakh. I'd asked R75,000 pre-performance. I got that after some reluctance. I was told the balance would be paid to me after the event. But it never came."
Aggrieved vendors Vendors submitted a letter of complaint at the N M Joshi Marg police station on January 18. A copy of the same is with the paper. Cheese vendor Sanjay E said R80,000 was due to him, while Kamlesh K, who supplied imported food, said, "I have to collect R1.68 lakh." Another vendor, Omkar K, said R1.23 lakh was owed to him, and food supplier N Mattal has to collect R1.41 lakh.
The caf&eacute; management allegedly owes even the pest control contractor, Laxman B &mdash; R18,000. Vendors have, however, alleged that the police have dismissed their complaint as a civil case. "In January, we came here to ask for our money, but there was a lock on the door; the caf&eacute; had folded and the owners had disappeared," they added. John K from the group said, "We need a suppliers association; unity and structure will give us the strength to fight back when we are cheated."
Cooked our goose Chef Anant Morajkar said, "I have a small amount pending &mdash; Rs 15,000 &mdash; in service charges. But counting the kitchen staff, we were at least 50 in all; so, cumulatively, the dues work out to Rs 3 lakh approximately. We were told that this outlet was closing but would re-open in Bandra soon. I think this was said to merely placate us, as nothing of that sort has happened."
Rs 26 lakh Amount the owner claims is due to him in TDS
5,000 Area of the space (in square feet) rented out

Landlord and vendors file case for unpaid dues over Rs 30 lakh, but owners of the shuttered Summerhouse Cafe in Lower Parel deny allegations

Owners of Delhi cafe's Mumbai outlet owe lakhs in unpaid wages to staff, vendors

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Home / Mumbai / Mumbai News / Article / Owners of Delhi cafe's Mumbai outlet owe lakhs in unpaid wages to staff, vendors

Owners of Delhi cafe's Mumbai outlet owe lakhs in unpaid wages to staff, vendors

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