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SASHA ROGELBERG | STAFF WRITER
L ess than a week aft er opening its
doors, Matzah Balls, a Doylestown
Jewish deli, has closed indefi nitely.

On Aug. 25, six days aft er its opening
weekend on Aug. 19, owner and chef
Franco Federico found an eviction notice
on Matzah Balls’ window at the 24 N.

Main Street location. Th e doors were
padlocked. Business manager Kevin Aniess said
the restaurant closed due to a landlord
and tenant dispute.

“Th is aft ernoon around 3 PM without
any advance legal notice whatsoever a
padlock was placed on the front gate and
eviction type of notices were placed on
the door by the landlord,” an open letter
on the Matzah Balls website read.

“It was the desire of the landlord that
we would not succeed under any circum-
stances,” it concludes. “Th e end of this
story has not yet been written.”
Federico said landlord Uri Abrams
requested $21,000 because of a fi ne-print
clause in the lease saying that any default
would result in Federico immediately
owing 5% of the remaining time on
the lease, over $10,000, plus $3,750 in
legal fees.

“I guess he made the ultimate mistake,
which was to sign the lease, to not hire a
lawyer,” Aniess said.

Federico has since hired a law-
yer. According to Federico, he was not
behind on rent payments and that he was
unable to pay common area maintenance
charges (such as payments for parking lot
lighting and garbage maintenance) due
to injury and illness.

On the restaurant’s opening day,
Federico dropped an 800-pound deli case
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on his foot, and the restaurant
closed for dinner service that
night. Federico fell ill a few
days later and was unable to
leave the house to get a certi-
fi ed check, he said.

Th e CAM charge was due in
August for September’s main-
tenance. Th e original check
for the payment bounced
because “the funds did not
make it into the account in
time because Franco, when he
was sick, asked someone else to
do it,” Aniess said. Th e person
Franco asked was unable to
help secure the funds and a
new check.

In the two years Federico
had previously rented the
restaurant space as La Dolce
Matzah Balls deli closed on Aug. 25, six
days after its grand opening.

Vita Da Franco from Abrams,
he had not missed any rent
payments, Federico said.

agreement, Abrams did not want Aniess
Aniess believes that some of the land- and his son-in-law, who helped develop
lord’s comments made about the restau- Matzah Balls’ menu, to be on the restau-
rant closure were antisemitic, though rant’s premises. Federico did not agree to
Abrams, like Aniess and Federico, is that element of the agreement.

also Jewish.

Th ough Federico believes he had not
“Aft er the grand opening aft er the had any previous fi nancial disputes
ribbon cutting, when everybody was with Abrams, he said that Abrams was
happy getting their free bagels and stringent about when he received pay-
cream cheese, the landlord came up to ments. According to Federico, Abrams
Franco and said, ‘You’re going to regret would eat the restaurant’s food in the
the day that you open up a Jewish deli in kitchen aft er business hours most
Doylestown,’” Aniess said.

nights at La Dolce Vita Da Franco.

Abrams also allegedly told Federico
“Th e other thing he always said to me
that Aniess “was a dog that should be put was that he was the king and nobody
on a leash.” Aniess believes that language should mess with him,” Federico said of
was coded antisemitism.

Abrams. “He was ‘the lord of the land’;
Abrams declined a request to he’s ‘the landlord.’”
comment. A hearing at the Bucks County
On Aug. 28, Federico, his girlfriend Courthouse was set for Sept. 7 to discuss
and Aniess met to discuss terms to reversing the shuttering of the business.

reopen the restaurant. Federico would
“Franco is extremely upset; he’s basi-
make his late CAM payment and agree to cally destroyed,” Aniess said. “Th e whole
be sure to pay his rent in full and before thing that his reputation was built on for
their due dates. In exchange, Abrams 40 years in the restaurant business was
would remove the padlock and eviction basically shattered in one hour.”
notice and reopen the restaurant and
Th ough Matzah Balls remains closed,
would allow for friendly dogs on the Federico is planning Rosh Hashanah
premises, which was originally prohib- dinners and take-out on Sept. 25 and
ited in the lease.

26 at his restaurant Fountainside in
Th e agreement fell through, however, Horsham. JE
because, according to Aniess, when
Federico called Abrams to discuss the srogelberg@midatlanticmedia.com
Courtesy of Matzah Balls deli
Doylestown’s Matzah Balls Deli Closes
Days After Opening