The Port of Vancouver is suing Terminal One tenant Torque Coffee Roasters for failing to pay rent since moving into the former Red Lion Hotel Vancouver at the Quay on the waterfront at the beginning of the year. The owner of Torque, however, said the shop will remain open as he works with the port to pay the bill.
Torque owes the port more than $10,500 in back rent, late fees and interest, and never paid a $20,790 deposit, according to the lawsuit filed March 30.
The lawsuit demands that Torque vacate the premises and pay its back rent, port attorneys fees and double rent for every day it remains open after March 28.
As of Tuesday morning, the shop was still open, and owner Ryan Palmer says it will remain that way while Torque “gets everything caught up.”
“The checks we had sent to them weren’t cashed in mid-February — the checks we sent to their P.O. box didn’t get to them,” Palmer said by phone Tuesday morning. “We were trying to resolve the rest of the rent issues at a later time, and it escalated quickly because of the way the port has to operate.”
Port officials confirmed Palmer told the port as much but the port was “not able to confirm payment at that time.”
“The port communicated throughout February and March as we attempted to resolve payment issues and as we, unfortunately, began the notice process,” port spokeswoman Abbi Russell said in an email.
Palmer said that he understands the port is “obligated” to launch the suit over nonpayment.
“There’s no animosity,” he said. “They’re just doing the things they have to do. We talked with them and we’re going through and resolving the issue now.”
The coffee roaster moved down Columbia Street from their former location across from the Hilton on Jan. 1. Torque’s lease shows monthly rent was staggered over the first three months, presumably to help ease the transition to a new location. The rent moved from about $1,700 in January to $2,600 in February to $3,465 in March and then on.
The port said Torque went through a credit check just like it does for all prospective tenants before signing a lease.
“Based on the credit check results and our conversations, we moved forward with a lease that, like all our leases, contained safeguards for us and our tenant,” Russell said.
Despite the lawsuit, the port wants its coffee shop tenant to succeed.
“The port wants long-term partners at Terminal One and will continue communicating and working in good faith,” Russell said.
A Torque location in Washougal closed in October after opening eight months earlier.
