Darien Restaurant Battle: Landlord Takes Possession

DARIEN, IL – Carriage Greens Country Club has taken possession of its restaurant and banquet hall, which have been the subject of a legal battle, the club's owner said last week.

Since last fall, the club has tried to evict Carriage Greens F and B, owned by Heidi Revelis, from the Sandtrap Grill restaurant and banquet space. It accused Revelis of "squatting" there.

"The judge found Heidi not to be credible. And their case severely lacked evidence," club owner Brian Broderick said in a text message to Patch. "I have full possession and am currently undergoing an extensive cosmetic renovation."

The restaurant will be rebranded as On Par Sports Bar and the banquet space as Exclusive Events, Broderick said.

On Par is expected to open by month's end, while the banquet facilities are open for booking now, he said.

Each side accuses the other of owing it hundreds of thousands of dollars. That legal battle continues, said Fred Roth, Revelis' lawyer.

Roth said the judge disagreed with Revelis that the landlord should have reduced the rent because the club removed the lower level banquet rooms – the Oak Room and bridal suites – from the leased premises three years ago.

"Our calculation of the space taken was approximately 25% of the total banquet area," Roth said. "The Judge thought our evidence on this point was lacking as there was no written documentation on the matter but based upon the Landlord building walls, they prevented the use of such areas."

The judge only considered the direct rent checks and rent credit for the video gambling net proceeds, Roth said.

But the judge refused to take into account the four years of golf outing food and beverage service that Revelis provided to the landlord that was not paid for, the attorney said.

"Heidi had believed those amounts were to be credited to the rent based upon discussions with the Landlord," Roth said. "As a result, the total rent counted 'as paid' was less than the rent being charged."

The next part of the case involves damages, and for that trial, there will be a jury, Roth said.

"The unpaid food and beverage amounts for the golf outings will be a factor at that trial," he said.