Cincinnati OK’d $455,000 for new West End restaurant. The landlord locked it out

Citing a lack of sit-down restaurants in the West End, a group of residents has been trying for years to renovate a former restaurant space at 1726 Linn St. to fill the need, and the city of Cincinnati approved $455,000 to fund the effort since 2023.

But Jan. 7, an attorney for the property owner, Linn & Livingston LLC, terminated the West End Sports Bar and Grill’s nearly yearlong lease at the property, alleging the restaurant had not paid any rent and owed $37,150.

The landlord changed the locks and informed owner Nick Johnson he could only enter the premises to retrieve personal property before Jan. 19, according to the letter.

In a follow-up letter March 11, the landlord's attorney, John Louis Gueltzow, alleged the restaurant's owner or contractors working for him pulled a mechanical permit in February and may have entered the property despite the default notice.

Read the full story from Cincinnati Business Courier staff reporter Christ Wetterich here.

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