Drama at Cinder BBQ at 800 Upshur St NW. They received notice today that they are being sued by their landlord for back money supposedly owed. According to the owners of Cinder, the lawsuit came as a surprise, since some of the requested back rent is from Ruta del Vino (the prior tenant of the space, which is not Cinder’s responsibility) as well as agreed upon rent reductions from the COVID pandemic and from when the restaurant had to close due to water damage caused by pipes in the building. The lawsuit states Cinder owes $100,000 to Dudley Pro Realty.

According to Cinder, they have been in negotiations with the Dudleys over their request for additional money, and said today’s lawsuit was unexpected.

“This lawsuit comes as a surprise, as we have been in ongoing discussions with the landlord to resolve outstanding financial matters between both parties,” said John Anderson, one of the owners of Cinder BBQ. “These discussions included not only back rent but also amounts we are indemnified against from the previous tenant, as well as funds owed to us due to multiple instances where the landlord’s failure to pay the building’s water bill forced us to close. Additionally, we were negotiating adjustments related to reduced rent during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“We were actively working toward a fair and reasonable payment plan when communication from the landlord unexpectedly ceased. We remain hopeful that we can resume negotiations in good faith and reach a resolution that allows us to continue serving the community we care about deeply,” John said.

Cinder is open and will remain serving while they try to figure out this situation with the landlord.

The Dudley family has owned the building at 800 Upshur Street NW for a long time. That building has had many lives over the years, including a Highs Dairy back in the 1950s, to a Dudley’s cosmetics store in the late 90s and early 2000s that was almost always closed. The problematic Riyad market was there, and then Ruta del Vino went into the space. When Ruta shut down suddenly, the location remained empty until Cinder opened up 6 years ago. It’s quickly become a neighborhood favorite.

More to come on this issue.