Caplansky’s Deli has temporarily reopened after a court ruled in its favour in the fight against a lease termination that led to the popular deli being shut down by its landlord earlier this week.
Celebrity restaurateur Zane Caplansky found a foreclosure notice from his landlord stuck to his College Street restaurant’s door Tuesday, which stated the lease had been terminated and the location seized due to “failing to effect repairs not authorized by the landlord.”
A court ruled the restaurant could reopen until June 20, when an agreement must be made between the landlord and Caplansky’s legal council on a schedule for possible further litigation.
READ MORE: Caplansky’s Deli suddenly shut by landlord, owner not sure why
“Well I’m relieved, we’re back in business. The lease is valid and we won the case and I’m relieved for our team, I’m relieved for our people,” Caplansky said Friday.
“Well what we wanted was to get back in business, what we wanted was a judge to say the lease is valid and that’s what we got.”
Caplansky said he was unaware of any health or safety issues at the restaurant and classified the allegations as “fiction.”
“I truly am at a loss to understand. There’s not a single outstanding bill, there’s not a single outstanding issue,” he said.
“We’ve been a great neighbour, we’ve been a great tenant, we have a thriving business that adds to the neighbourhood and the community. You’ve seen the outpouring of support. I have no clue, genuinely no clue what they’re referring to.”
His lawyer Neil Abramson said the landlord had cashed a rent cheque from Caplansky on Monday, before locking the doors Monday night.
WATCH: Famous Toronto deli closed by landlord
Caplansky said his reputation had been damaged and suffered significant losses from the closure of the restaurant.
“My name and reputation have been damaged, what do other landlords, what do potential franchisees, what do staff think that this has just happened?” he said.
“People think that this doesn’t happen unless you did something wrong. I didn’t do anything wrong. So as far as I’m concerned I’ve really suffered significantly.”
With files from David Shum and Cindy Pom
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