Upscale coffee shop Bow Truss will no longer operate the Mariano Park concessions kiosk in the Gold Coast, after the Chicago Park District said it has dissolved its permit agreement.
The park district dissolved the agreement on Jan. 12, citing “failure to comply with payment commitments and operational concerns,” Park District spokeswoman Jessica Maxey-Faulkner said in an email. The park district advertised a notice of availability for the space at Mariano Park on Thursday.
“Inviting interested, experienced firms or legal entities to submit their application for a concession opportunity at Mariano Park,” the posting says.
Bow Truss owner Phil Tadros said by text message Thursday the company is only keeping open its most profitable leases, but wouldn’t say which locations met that criteria.
The coffee roaster has been embroiled in controversy recently, with local locations of Bow Truss closed as the business struggled to pay employees and rent. As of Wednesday, two of the stores had reopened. The Mariano Park location had been closed for the winter.
In December, Marcus Lemonis ?, the Lake Forest-based host of CNBC’s “The Profit” and CEO of Camping World said he had paid several million dollars to buy a majority stake in Bow Truss. But a month later, he said he no longer had any interest in partnering with Bow Truss owner Phil Tadros after developing concerns about both finances and transparency. Only about $100,000 had changed hands as of Jan. 12, Lemonis and Tadros said at the time.
Tadros filed a lawsuit against Lemonis Wednesday, alleging breach of a letter of intent, fraud and other complaints.
Bow Truss won the Mariano Park concession permit
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when the Park District’s board of commissioners voted unanimously to approve it in November 2015, despite attempts by Gold Coast neighbors to save its popular tenant, Whispers Cafe. Bow Truss’ permit to operate in Mariano Park was supposed to run for seven years with three one-year extension options, the Tribune reported at the time.[email protected]
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