Route 66 Malt Shop loses its lease

Route 66 Malt Shop, Albuquerque

The Route 66 Malt Shop restaurant, in the Nob Hill area of Albuquerque, lost its lease on the property it is situated, and its future appears uncertain.

According to Albuquerque Business First, the lease ends July 31:

Sperry Van Ness/Walt Arnold Commercial Brokerage adviser and retail specialist Glenn Wright is now marketing the 1,920-square-foot space for lease at $20 per square foot. “We have agreed to let them stay open to the end of their lease, or until we have a new lease with a tenant — whichever comes first,” Wright said. Wright added the terms were signed by Route 66 Malt Shop owner Eric Szeman. The reason for the intention to not renew the lease was not disclosed.

Szeman told the newspaper he had no immediate plans to move and reopen the restaurant.

Instead of being best-known for its milkshakes or cheeseburgers, the Route 66 Malt Shop became infamous in early 2013 when it publicly refused to obey a voter-approved and city-mandated minimum wage increase. Protests of the restaurant followed, the owner’s son allegedly threatened an employee, and the city filed a lawsuit against the eatery (the suit and its troubling allegations may be read here).

According to online court records, the lawsuit remains active and is set for a jury trial in Albuquerque District Court in June.

I removed Route 66 Malt Shop from this site’s Restaurants page in the wake of the allegations. It wasn’t the first business I’ve removed for bad behavior, and it probably won’t be the last.

(Image of the Route 66 Malt Shop by W.W. Watson via Flickr)

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