What appeared to be almost inevitable is becoming reality — the Route 66 Malt Shop in Albuquerque soon will close after losing its lease, according to a report by KRQE-TV in Albuquerque.
It was reported in April the restaurant had lost its lease at 3800 Central Ave. SE, which would have expired July 31. Owner Eric Szeman said at the time he had no immediate plans to relocate the restaurant. Apparently that situation didn’t change.
Last month, just as a trial began, the Route 66 Malt Shop settled a lawsuit with a former worker and the city over the restaurant’s refusal in 2013 to comply with a voter-mandated minimum-wage increase. The worker also was threatened by the restaurant’s manager who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor over the incident.
The settlement came without admission of wrongdoing by the restaurant, but it had to pay the city $2,500 and forego any appeal or future lawsuits.
Szeman complained two years ago it wouldn’t meet payroll with the new minimum wage and flouted the law. But the restaurant almost certainly paid far more in the wake of the criminal investigation and lawsuit. I removed Route 66 Malt Shop from this site’s Restaurants page in the wake of its bad behavior.
(Image of the Route 66 Malt Shop by W.W. Watson via Flickr)
Ron,
While I enjoy reading your route 66 newsletter online, I found your reporting on the closing malt shop to be a little disconcerting. It seems to me that is not your place to “punish” the owner for “bad behavior” because of the legal situation he found himself in. The incident was settled by the city, the plaintiff, and their lawyers and he has already paid his penalty which I’m sure was for him substantial. If anything, you might show a little consideration for small businesses that struggle to make ends meet on route 66 while keeping it a vibrant highway. Having a new minimum-wage imposed on a small business can often result in a business having to close it’s doors as was probably a contributing factor here.
I think it’s best if you stick to reporting the news, and leaving the “punishing” to others.
Paul Derouin
The “bad behavior” I’m referring to is the threats against an employee. And this isn’t the first business I’ve delisted for poor conduct; you can check the archives for Indian Harvest in Missouri.