Agreement brings two new eateries to Hill
After failed deal, a twist of fate for restaurateur
 Mohsen "Maurice" Lavasani and his wife Mahtab enter the home of their new restaurant in the Top of the Hill Plaza. Shundeez Persian is set to open on Sept. 15. (Photo by Scott Alloway)
by MICHAEL J. MISHAK
If good things come to those who wait, Mohsen “Maurice” Lavasani should have the next Striped Bass on his hands.
After nearly a year and a half of failed lease negotiations with Bowman Properties, the longtime Chestnut Hill merchant is set to open Shundeez Persian restaurant this month in the former home of Roller’s restaurant at the Top of the Hill.
Owner Paul Roller closed the eatery that has borne his name for more than two decades this week, opting to reopen his Flying Fish seafood restaurant full-time. Located at 8142 Germantown Ave., the space had been reserved for private parties and catering.
The local restaurateur also moved Roller’s Market, another Top of the Hill mainstay, to a new location: Roller’s Express-O, 8341 Germantown Ave. Lavasani will now operate his own market in the plaza, offering homemade Middle Eastern takeout and serving breakfast. The stall he has run in the Chestnut Hill Farmers’ Market for the past 12 years will remain open. Roller declined several requests for comment.
While the moves may seem sudden to many Chestnut Hill residents, they are the result of months of careful planning.
Frustrated over construction delays at 8001 Germantown Ave., Lavasani sought out Roller last December.
Lavasani had signed a lease with Bowman Properties in April 2004 and hoped to open his first restaurant in the prime, first-floor space at the corner of Germantown and Willow Grove avenues by that fall. But, according to Lavasani, the venue remained virtually untouched, shrouded in faded brown paper.
Five months behind schedule at the time, Lavasani said he was at his wits’ end. “I almost had tears in my eyes,” he said in an interview last week. He inquired about Flying Fish but said Roller told him to come back after the new year.
Two months later, in February 2005, Lavasani spotted the first signs of work at 8001 Germantown Ave. Despite considerable financial strains, he was ecstatic.
 Rollers Restaurant has moved to 8142 Germantown Avenue. (Photo by Michael Mishak)
According to Lavasani, requests from a Local reporter who was writing about the situation at the time prompted his first sit-down in five months with Richard Snowden, managing partner of Bowman Properties.
After the meeting, the parties released a joint statement that read in part: “The wait for the opening of Chestnut Hill’s newest restaurant is nearly over. Shundeez Persian Restaurant … will be opening in late spring of 2005.”
In early March, Lavasani received a memo from Bowman that said, “Work is on track and moving quickly.” Within weeks, the work stopped. The city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections ordered all operations to cease for failure to obtain proper permits.
Lavasani was incensed. Lawyer Stephen Foxman, one of Lavasani’s regular customers, offered his services pro bono, sending Bowman at least two letters seeking to resolve the situation. According to Foxman, the landlord was unresponsive and refused another meeting.
On top of it all, Lavasani said Bowman had changed the locks to the building without notifying him. “I said, ‘That’s it. I’m moving on.’”
In July, Lavasani connected with Roller, who he said suggested the idea of opening Shundeez at the Top of the Hill. The two shook hands and a deal was soon in the works. Lavasani was beside himself. “I’ve already won my lottery,” he said of the deal. “I hit the jackpot.”
While the long entrepreneurial nightmare may be over, the debacle did not come without considerable cost. By his own estimates, Lavasani spent more than $32,000 on the failed Bowman deal. He considers much of the money, spent on legal fees and architectural plans, unrecoverable.
Now, he’s eager to open Shundeez to offset the severe loss in income. Lavasani and his wife of 19 years, Mahtab, plan to open on Sept. 15 after a three-week renovation. The restaurant, a BYOB, will serve lunch and dinner, he said. Customers will be welcomed with vodka-lime drinks.
“It was a sad story,” Lavasani said last week. “I was down. I didn’t know what to do. I was embarrassed. Now I can hold my head up.”
An emotional Lavasani shared the good news with his customers during the lunch-hour rush at the farmers’ market last Friday. “This is my dream come true,” he said. “For me, it’s unbelievable. It’s impossible. It’s amazing.”
Lavasani remains hopeful that he can resolve his differences with Bowman, including the return of his $5,800 security deposit. A call to Bowman seeking comment was not returned at press time.
“There’s no hard feelings,” he said. “I’m a peace guy. I just want to concentrate on my job. Snowden [Bowman managing partner] changed my life — but it turned out to be for the better. The future is great and very clear now.” |
