Papers Served as Patrick’s Roadhouse Faces Uncertainty

Patrick’s Roadhouse, a longtime eatery located at Pacific Coast Highway and Entrada Drive, continues to face an uncertain future in the aftermath of receiving an eviction notice in November. The restaurant, which had been ordered to close by December 17, is still open, at least temporarily. ‘It will remain open until we go to court, which should be within the next 30 days,’ Roadhouse owner Anthony Fischler said in an e-mail to the Palisadian-Post on Monday. ‘I was served legal papers on Saturday.’ Ironically, the impending closure has nothing to do with business, which was good and is now booming following a December 21 L.A.Times story (‘Famed Patrick’s Roadhouse Is Facing Closure’), but rather is due to a tenent/landlord dispute.   The Roadhouse was established in 1974 by Anthony’s father, William Fischler, who leased the space from M & M investments in Santa Monica. After his death in 1997, the restaurant stayed in the family, but according to the Times story, three of the four siblings (Anthony, Clinton and Tracey) have had disagreements about its operation and ownership.   Five years ago, Silvio Moreira, who had worked in the restaurant for 19 years, took over operation of the Roadhouse and sublet from Anthony Fischler, paying him rent. (The family has continued to lease the space from M&M on a month-to-month basis.)   Moreira told the Post that he has always paid his rent on time and was surprised when an eviction notice was placed on the door.   ’I’m caught between two parties,’ said Moreira, a native of Portugal who was originally hired by the elder Fischler. In a December 3, Santa Monica Daily Press story, a reporter quoted Lee Benchay, a partner in M&M, who said, ‘I can only tell you a restaurant is open, and it’s going to be open and it’s going to be remodeled.’   If the building owner’s intention is to keep Patrick’s Roadhouse in that space, many wonder why M&M would suddenly give an eviction notice to Anthony Fischler and then serve him with legal papers.   Sculptor Tom Van Sant, who has a studio half a block from Patrick’s and rents from M&M, said he’s been on a month-to-month lease with them for the past 25 years.   ’I have great confidence in our landlord, who’s been good to us,’ Van Sant said. ‘Perhaps he [the owner] hasn’t had as good as relations with Fischler.’   The Post called M&M on Tuesday and asked if Fischler had paid the rent on time or if they would describe the tenant/landlord relationship. A spokesperson at M&M said, ‘I’m sorry I can’t comment, it’s in the hands of our lawyers and they’ve told us not to say anything.’ Moreira told the Post on Tuesday, that he has started to look at other locations, as well as investigating work for longtime employees in case the restaurant must close down. ‘I’m not attached to any ill feelings toward anyone involved in this ‘drama,” he said. ‘I’m also committed to creating something beautiful out of this situation … even if I honestly sometimes do not know how and what.’   (The Post published a previous story about the restaurant on December 10, titled ‘Patrick’s Roadhouse Faces Possible Eviction Dec. 17.)