Mr Grigor’s: Popular Allambie Heights cafe closes after lease not renewed
A popular northern beaches cafe, doing booming business after COVID, has had to close its doors after failing to come to an agreement on a new lease with the landlord.
Manly
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Customers were in tears, gifts were left on the counter and sad farewells were made as a local family-run restaurant on the northern beaches closed its doors for the last time on Monday.
Maria and Bill Panagiotopoulos opened Mr Grigor’s at Allambie Heights five years ago and had built up a loyal community following.
As well as being a popular “destination” cafe for young mums, families, older folk, cyclists and office workers, the casual dining restaurant also employed dozens of young locals part-time since it opened in January 2016.
But on January 10 this year Maria and Bill were handed a letter from an estate agent, representing the owners of the Allambie Heights shopping centre, telling the couple that they had 30 days to vacate the premises
Maria and Bill said the notice to vacate came after a number of issues around an option to renew their five-year lease.
As part of their lease, the couple had to indicate to landlord Darren Jones, by the end of July 2020, if they were going to exercise the option to renew the lease for another five years.
Mr Jones, a former mayor of Warringah Council, and his family, own the shopping centre which has about 25 retail and hospitality outlets.
Mara said due to the pressures of trying to keep the business above water during the COVID crisis, and the poor health of her elderly father, they missed the deadline to alert Mr Jones that they wanted to renew the lease, by about two weeks.
Maria said they wrote to Mr Jones to make an offer on the lease, but that was rejected.
For more than three hours on Monday Maria and Bill, with their adult daughter Chloe, were making and handing out free coffees to their loyal customers.
They were especially thankful of the clients who stuck by them during the two COVID-19 lockdowns and kept coming to Mr Grigor’s for their takeaway meals and drinks.
“We worked hard, up to 100 hours every week each, to make this place a success,” Maria said.
“Now, since COVID restrictions lifted, our business is up 20 to 30 per cent. But we have to go.
“I have never had a community wrap their arms around us like this community has.
“It’s been wonderful.”
Loyal customer Fay Hadley, of Allambie Heights, was tearful as she handed a wrapped present to Maria on Monday morning.
Ms Hadley said her son Henry, had worked part time at Mrs Grigors while at high school.
“Maria and Bill added so much to Allambie Heights.
“They’ll be missed.”
Mr Jones told the Manly Daily on Monday that the couple failed to meet their obligations in relation to exercising an option to renew the lease.
“They failed to take up their option. They didn’t renew their lease, pretty simple,” Mr Jones said.
“It was nothing to do with me. It was their call, not mine.”
He said the search was on for a new tenant, of a similar type, “but augmented”.
Meanwhile Maria and Bill are clearing out Mr Grigor’s this week and contemplating whether to open another restaurant in, or near, the northern beaches.
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