ICYMI: Ownership of Troubled Restaurants at Lenox Square, Phipps Plaza Confirmed

Buckhead’s Neighborhood Planning Unit (NPU)-B recently acknowledged a change in ownership of a pair of Buckhead restaurants which the owners of Phipps Plaza and Lenox Square malls claim violated their leases.

According to BuckheadView, NPU-B assigned ownership of Twist and Prime restaurantsto Leigh Catherall, the ex-wife of Atlanta restaurateur Tom Catherall, during their Feb. 3 meeting. As a result of the Catherall’s 2012 divorce settlement, Leigh assumed control of four restaurants owned and operated by Here to Serve Restaurant Group. Here to Serve also owns and operates Coast and Aja restaurants.

Simon Property Group, which owns both Buckhead shopping malls, claims Twist (at Phipps Plaza) and Prime (at Lenox Square) have been violating their leases ever since Tom assigned the leases to Leigh. BuckheadView says Simon has filed a motion in federal court seeking monetary damages and the possession of both restaurants.

NPU-B did not touch on the extenuating circumstances of the Catherall’s dispute with Simon, but did affirm a change in ownership of the restaurant from Tom to Leigh for the liquor licenses at each of the four Here to Serve Restaurant Group entities.