Zakarian is the second restaurateur to be sued for dropping plans to open restaurants in Washington D.C.’s new Trump Hotel.
According to the complaint, filed in D.C. Superior Court, Zakarian has breached the terms of his contract.
Trump filed a similar lawsuit against Chef José Andrés only days earlier. Both complaints name damages “in excess of $10 million.”
Both chefs pulled out of Trump’s project in D.C., located in the Old Post Office Building, due to controversial comments the presidential candidate made about Mexican immigrants, according to DC Eater.
Based in D.C., restauranteur Andrés bailed on July 8, saying Trump’s disparaging remarks had made it “impossible” for a Spanish-food restaurant with half of its staff composed of Hispanic individuals to open at the hotel. He said in a statement to the Washington Post:
“Donald Trump’s recent statements disparaging immigrants make it impossible for my company and I to move forward… More than half of my team is Hispanic, as are many of our guests. And, as a proud Spanish immigrant and recently naturalized American citizen myself, I believe that every human being deserves respect, regardless of immigration status.”
Zakarian backed out of the project just a day after Andrés did the same. At the time, a Trump spokesperson said that Zakarian had put up a $490,167 deposit for the space, according to Washington Business Journal.
Zakarian had leased about 9,344 square feet for a “first-class restaurant,” according to the complaint.
Zakarian’s company sent Trump Old Post Office LLC a letter July 17 attempting to terminate the lease for cause, according to the complaint. Zakarian’s team arguing that Trump’s comments violated covenants of quiet enjoyment, good faith and fair dealing.
An initial scheduling conference for Trump’s lawsuit against Zakarian is scheduled for Nov. 6.
