The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
BurgerFi closes local restaurant for good
Mentor has one less burger joint in town.
A notice recently posted on the sign in front of BurgerFi, 8748 Mentor Ave., alerted diners that it had permanently closed.
“We thank the Mentor community for their support over the past several years,” reads a message on the door. “At this time, we have made a tough but necessary decision to permanently close the restaurant.”
The message encourages patrons to visit the next-closest location, at 2002 Portage Trail in Cuyahoga Falls.
“We are already in the process of letting prospective market entries know about the closure as it is in a prime location,” said Mentor Economic Development Director Kevin Malecek, who said it closed March 13 or 14.
“There are several national fast-casual and local restaurateurs that continue to look at Mentor Avenue as an attractive option. I think any of those might be a good fit for the building.”
Ward 1 Councilman Sean Blake expressed surprise.
“Every time that I have been there they seemed to be doing a bustling business,” he said. “Their parking lot always seemed to be full. The food was great and reasonably priced — all the ingredients for success. I am disappointed that they appear to be gone.”
This is an excerpt from a statement issued by BurgerFi: “This is strictly a business decision and the closure is a part of BurgerFi’s overall strategy to be able to provide our better burgers across the nation, and continue to give guests the best experience possible. We appreciate your support and encourage you to continue to follow us on social media and visit us at our other Ohio locations.”
Landlord Alan Iacofano said the business had been struggling.
“Corporate took over from the original owners after about three years because they were having a hard time making a profit,” he said. “(They) tried a few managers and they tried to get it revived, and I just think they kind of struggled as well and they ended up having to close it.”
He confirmed that there are no shortage of suitors for the property.
“I had two inquiries the first day,” he said. “I’m talking to two different possibilities at this time. … I’m kind of torn. There’s been kind of a higher-end restaurant that showed interest and I thought that they may be a pretty good fit. I just want to make sure I’m going to get a tenant that’s going to be successful there.”
The restaurant opened in July 2013 with the help of a $10,000 Mentor Economic Development Grant.
The grant was used toward construction and landscaping costs to renovate the vacant Little Mountain Farmers Market building at the highprofile corner in the city’s Old Village area.
In February 2018, a lawsuit was filed against the Floridabased restaurant chain and Michael Scimonelli, manager of the Mentor and Cuyahoga Falls locations.
The plaintiffs alleged they witnessed and/or were subjected to numerous instances of sexual harassment and assault, including inappropriate touching, sexually explicit comments and sexual innuendo after Scimonelli was transferred by BurgerFi from Florida to Ohio in 2017.
BurgerFi’s human resource department took no action after receiving an anonymous complaint about Scimonelli in January 2018, according to the lawsuit.
However, Elizabeth Rodriguez, a Miami attorney representing BurgerFi, said the chain does not tolerate harassment or discrimination.
“We received an email Feb. 2 about (the allegations) and we immediately started an investigation,” she said. “We intend to defend the case. BurgerFi did nothing wrong.”
The case is still pending in Summit County Court.