The front door of downtown restaurant Even Stevens Sandwiches at 178 E. Broadway Blvd. currently displays a lock out notice from its landlord.
Tenant has failed to pay the Rent owned and due under the Lease. Despite written demand, Tenant has failed to cure its default of the Lease.
While the building is empty and the phone rings with no answer, the restaurant posted on its Facebook page Wednesday morning:
https://www.facebook.com/evenstevenstucson/photos/a.892570030908373.1073741830.780004028831641/1100500600115314/?type=3
A call to the landlord was not returned by the time of article publication.
Stay tuned — we will update this article as we receive additional information.
[07/19/2018 Edit — Even Stevens emailed us the following statement]
Even Stevens Sandwiches, which has donated over three million sandwiches to more than 80 community partners in 20 Even Stevens locations across the country, had its Tucson, AZ restaurant temporarily closed.
“The company has always focused on setting itself apart from the competition… on being special,” explained Brooks Pickering. “Our commitment to delivering great food and to sharing a future with the places where we do business sets us apart, but it also requires us to be strong financially, so we can continue to deliver for our customers, our community and our investors. Unfortunately, we are experiencing difficulties, which resulted in the closure of our Tucson, AZ location.”
Pickering, who was asked to review the company’s position in June of this year and has now assumed the principal leadership role, is a seasoned strategic growth executive specializing in corporate turnarounds, restructuring and expansion. Over his career, he has been directly responsible for creating more than $750 million of positive shareholder/lender value for a variety of businesses worldwide.
“Even Stevens has a strong foundation on which to build,” noted Pickering. “We have a great product and an honorable mission, and the company is taking immediate action to work with vendors and to restructure its position,” said Pickering.
Pickering does not anticipate other store closures at this point, and says that the management team is working hard to make sure that Evens Stevens can meet its obligations.
“We’ve got work to do,” stated Pickering. “We regret the closure of the Tucson restaurant and we apologize to our vendors, our faithful customers, the community, and our dedicated employees who have unwaveringly supported the vision and mission of Even Stevens. We hope to get things running smoothly and soon.”
All media inquiries may be directed to Lauren Singer Katz at Lsingerkatz@evenstevens.com
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Article written by:
Jackie Tran
More about JackieJackie Tran is a Tucson-based food writer, photographer, culinary educator, and owner-chef of the now-closed food truck Tran’s Fats. Although he is best known locally for his work for Tucson Foodie, his work has also appeared in publications such as Bon Appétit, National Geographic, and the New York Times.
An adventurous foodie, he enjoys culinary experiences ranging from seasonal omakase to sloppily devouring green chili patty melts in his car afterhours. His favorite foods include aguachile, garlic noodles, and leftover fried chicken illuminated by the fridge light. His favorite drinks include morning micheladas, fireside imperial stouts, candle-lit negroni, and grassy mezcales.
Outside of food, he also loves playing musical instruments, karaoke, Tetris, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and petting Addie’s dog Spaghetti.
If you’d like to stalk him, visit his Instagram @jackie_tran_ or jackietran.com.
