Following landlord dispute, popular pizzeria moving to new location
According to Luke Edwards, his pizza restaurant, OH Pizza & Brew, has frequently had no access to electricity, air, or heat, an ongoing problem for the past year and a half. “Yesterday, I had to send my staff home, sitting in front of an oven that’s 120 degrees all day,” he told 614Now.
On April 10, Edwards posted a picture on Facebook of a disconnection notice from AEP, with an attached message that explained he was going to have to move from his long standing 88 E. Broad St. location due to owners that “no longer care or are completely inept.”
“My staff received this flyer about an unpaid electric bill with the fear of not knowing how to plan around a looming electric shutoff. I might add, all the utilities are included in our lease. Since [former building owner] SPG [Schottenstein Property Group] sold it over a year ago, it has been nothing but a nightmare. Water, electrical, heating and cooling issues have plagued our operation to the point of complete shut downs on top of the terrible electricity shorting out our refrigeration equipment. This is not OK and I can’t continue to operate a business like this. Effective immediately, we are looking for a new spot,” the post said.
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Edwards originally signed on a lease with the Schottenstein Property Group, which he said was wonderful to work with. About a year and a half ago, the Columbus-based company sold the building to Zamir Equities, based out of NYC. “Starting day one, it was a nightmare,” said Edwards.
“Every weekend, the group would shut the utilities off and I had to constantly tell them not to [that we were still there on the weekends], and they said they couldn’t fix it…they were forcing us to have forced shutdowns,” Edwards explained.
The owner of the popular pizzeria then explained that there have been months upon months of continuous problems. “One thing after another,” he said. Then, they received a letter from AEP that said the ownership isn’t paying their electric bill, and that the power would be disconnected. “Other people were scurrying around trying to get their stuff out of the building before the power was disconnected. No one knew what was happening. All of us tenants were pissed off,” he said.
Asher Zamir, owner of Zamir Equities and the landlord of the building that OH Pizza & Brew resides in, told 614Now, “Yes, there was a notice for a disconnection for one day, but we paid it. There’s absolutely no problem anymore.”
However, Edwards said that while there may now be power, they don’t have air or heat right now, making it almost impossible to perform the duties of owning a pizzeria. He said that he is definitely moving locations. Zamir did not offer additional details about the other building issues, such as pests and HVAC, that Edwards alleges.
“There are several spots I want to look at,” Edwards said. “We have no choice but to move.”
He mentioned that he’s grateful for the outpouring support on Facebook, and he’s been looking at all of the suggestions customers have made on the post about where to move next.
“Please be kind as the next couple days, weeks or months will be bad. I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. This little pizza company was able to help a lot of people and I’ll always be proud of that. Here’s to the next chapter. Stay tuned,” Edwards said.
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