A Newcastle burger boss who said he felt "forced out" of his business following a rent row with landlords has launched a fundraiser to find a new premises.
Patties Burger Joint on Chillingham Road, Heaton, closed suddenly on Thursday, May 5, after being served with a forfeiture notice by landlords Ikonic Properties Ltd.
Owner and chef Edward Anderson said he had been negotiating the terms of his lease renewal with Ikonic Properties Ltd since October last year after they notified him they wanted to increase the rent by "£10,000 per year more".
But the 33-year-old from Whitley Bay said he was shocked to discover that bailiffs had forced entry into his premises in the early hours of the morning to change the locks and serve him with the notice. He said that although he had a "casual arrangement" when it came to the specific date for paying his rent, he stressed that the payments were met each quarter.
Edward believes that the landlord decided to issue the notice ahead of his lease ending in May by saying that he was late on his rent as a way of getting him to vacate the premises or to agree to a new lease on their terms with an increased rent.
Ikonic Properties Ltd has declined to comment.
Now, Edward has launched a Just Giving fundraiser in an effort to raise £10,000 to help fund a new permanent location for Patties in the coming months. The business owner also wants to use the funds to pay legal costs to overturn the forfeiture so that he can retrieve his equipment from the property.
So far the fundraiser has raised £1,200 with donations pouring in from loyal customers and supporters.
Edward, who ran Starks Kitchen with his family at the site before opening Patties Burger Joint in June 2020, said on the Just Giving page: "You may or may not know that our business has been shut down temporarily by our landlords in Heaton.
"As we have been forced to stop trading, we need your help! Their actions have led Patties into dire finical difficulties."
He says he has the choice to accept the landlord's rent rise and terms, or "walk away and lose all of our money from the investment we made on this street six years ago. Or pay the legal fees to overturn the forfeiture in Heaton."
Edward stressed that the fund will not be directly put towards the cost to re-sign the lease and will only be used to cover the legal cost to overturn the forfeiture and set up a new restaurant.
Patties on Chillingham Road will remain closed until further notice, however, plans are in the pipeline for Patties to appear at pop-up events over the summer. Edward has confirmed the business will be trading from Fresh Artisan Bakers in Fenham on Saturday, June 4 and Burds Cafe in Jesmond on Friday, June 10.
In a heartfelt message on Instagram, Edward asked customers to support the fundraiser, adding: "We are extremely upset to be in this position but with the help and support of our valued customers we hope to be back stronger than ever."
Ikonic Properties Ltd declined to comment on the fundraiser.
To donate visit: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/patties-burger-joint?utm_term=xxKBnEAGM
READ NEXT:
