They’re more than six months late on rent to the village and overdue in taxes by nearly a quarter of a million dollars, but Tasty Dog, 701 Lake St., doesn’t appear to be going down without a fight.
The sign in front of the popular fast-food restaurant on Aug. 10 states “Still Open.” Customers who have been following the Tasty Dog saga already know that the owner of Tasty Dog, Michael Barton, was due to appear in eviction court today to hear the fate of his business.
The village of Oak Park, which serves as landlord to the business, issued Tasty Dog an eviction notice in May, after the restaurant had failed to pay its rent since the beginning of the year. The rent bill is now upwards of $40,000. Wednesday Journal also learned last month that Tasty Dog still owes $244,295 in unpaid real estate taxes and penalties.
Neither Barton nor village attorney Paul Stephanides could be reached for comment. Stephanides told Wednesday Journal last week that if Tasty Dog does not move out by the Aug. 10, then the case will be set for trial.
It is uncertain how long the trial could take to resolve the issue.
