September 26, 2017
Several of Iron Chef Jose Garces’ restaurants are being sued by a wholesale food supplier claiming tens of thousands of dollars are owed from businesses under the Garces Restaurant Group umbrella.
The restaurants in question include Tinto, Distrito, The Olde Bar, Volver, Garces Trading Company, and Garces Catering, according to a report from PennRecord. Urbanfarm LLC also is listed in the lawsuit, which is registered at the same address as Garces’ J.G. Domestic.
The Delaware County-based produce supply business, FarmArt, filed the lawsuit in the Philadelphia Common Pleas Court. It claims $86,000 is owed in unpaid bills, with more than $120,000 due with interest and legal fees. Several of the bills date as far back as 2015.
The Garces Restaurant Group reportedly entered into an agreement with FarmArt in 2012, stating it would pay for goods and services within 30 days of delivery, subject to an 18 percent delinquency charge every year, plus 33 percent of the plaintiff’s legal fees if an attorney is needed for collection.
The lawsuit comes just months after Garces, who is a James Beard Foundation award winner, faced a lawsuit claiming another one of his restaurants, 24, violated the Americans With Disabilities Act.
