Crusade Burger Owes This Much Money After Crest Hill Restaurant Flop: Lawsuit

JOLIET, IL —A short-lived restaurant in the Joliet area, the Crusade Burger Bar West Renwick Road in Crest Hill, is now the subject of a six-figure civil lawsuit filed at the Will County Courthouse, Joliet Patch has found.

A limited liability company called SD Basecorp II filed its lawsuit against Jessica Gomez and Rafael Gomez and The Crusade Burger. The lawsuit noted that Jessica and Rafael Gomez reside in Kendall County and on Aug. 1, 2022, Crusade Burger signed a written lease that covered a time frame of more than five years, Aug. 1, 2022, until Halloween 2027.

In December 2022, Joliet Patch broke the news revealing that Crusade Burger Bar II had opened in Crest Hill, bringing a unique dining experience to Will County.

"We are very excited to have Crusade Burger Bar in the city of Crest Hill," Mayor Ray Soliman told Joliet Patch at the time. "Their food is outstanding, and they have a great reputation and following. They will become a destination point for our city along with our other fine restaurants. I wish them much success."

Crusade Burger II restaurant in Crest Hill only lasted about a year before it closed. This year, Patch reported that in addition to Crusade Burger II going out of business in 2023, the replacement tenant called the Jitterhead Breakfast Brunch and Coffee went out of business in late January after being open less than a year.

According to the new Will County lawsuit, by March 31, 2024, the defendants were in default of their payment obligations under the lease in the amount of $113,813.

A month earlier, on Feb. 6, 2024, the plaintiffs and defendants entered into a written agreement "whereby the defendants confirmed the delinquent amount of $113,813 and agreed to pay the aforementioned delinquent amount pursuant to an installment payment schedule," the lawsuit reads. "The defendants breached the lease, the memorandum of agreement and the personal guarantee when they failed to pay the outstanding amounts due to plaintiff despite numerous demands to do so."

This year, on Jan. 27, the defendants vacated the property prior to the expiration of the lease term, without the approval of plaintiff, the lawsuit told Will County's judges. "Plaintiff has been damaged in the minimum amount of $184,803, constituting unpaid rent, CAM charges and late fees due through Jan. 28, 2025."

Wheaton attorney Jason Cook of Sethna & Cook has asked Will County's judges to enter a monetary judgment against The Crusade Burger, Jessica Gomez and Rafael Gomez for the more than $184,800 in unpaid rent and "an award of plaintiff's court costs and attorney's fees."