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Winter storm puts new restaurant out of business

Posted at 5:18 PM, Jan 09, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-09 20:36:40-05

It started raining in side Havana Express Kitchen and Bakery near Tropicana and Eastern after a winter storm blew into the Las Vegas valley, Tuesday.

"I talked to the landlord for six months, about repairing the roof and he didn't do it," said restaurant owner Sergio Perez.

Perez owns a trio of restaurants in Las Vegas, including Florida Cafe, a favorite of recent parolee O.J. Simpson.

HIs newest one will be closed for the foreseeable future.

Perez pointed to water cascading down lighting fixtures, soaking brand new booths, and even onto expensive electronics.

Outside the building, temporary blue tarps were useless against the deluge. Perez says the landlord sent roofing specialists to make repairs, but the contractors did not finish on time.

"I feel really bad, because a lot of the employees here had to go home. Plus, the reputation for the new customers coming in," said Perez.

Perez estimates he spent $350,000 of his own money to fix up the former Arby's location. 

Contact 13 reached out to Perez's California-based landlord about the soaking.

When asked about the timing of the repairs and whether Perez can be released from his 5 year lease, the landlord hung up.

Sergio says in the meantime, his 15 employees are out of work.