Owner Harold Neuweg is optimistic following his latest round of negotiations with city officials, whose previous efforts to evict the establishment led to a community outcry.
"We're very happy to say that we're looking forward — we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel," Neuweg tells New Times, citing a positive meeting with the city manager's office on January 31.
That optimism stood in sharp contrast to his state of mind in the wake of a fiery January 23 Coral Gables City Commission meeting to address the city's move to terminate Fritz and Franz's 25-year lease on the property at the intersection where Aragon Avenue meets Merrick Way.
In the summer of 2023, Neuweg received a request for a formal proposal outlining intended investments in maintenance on the property. Neuweg responded that he'd complied with all necessary upkeep and cited the two five-year renewal options remaining on his existing lease.
Less than two months later, in September, citing "maintenance deficiencies" and below-market rent, the city issued a notice of nonrenewal, informing Neuweg that it would open the property to bids and that Fritz & Franz was welcome to submit its own proposal.
At the January 23 meeting, Commissioner Ariel Fernandez took issue with the process. "I believe we have failed at this process again," he said. "Le Parc was mishandled, the country club was mishandled, Burger Bob's was mishandled, and now we're here mishandling Fritz & Franz," he said, referring to recent closures of several beloved Coral Gables establishments.
Neuweg remained steadfast in his determination to avoid the same fate.
"My son and I are committed to operating the business in the same manner as we have in the last 20 years," he told commissioners. "People are happy with the service. People are happy with the food."
Neuweg asserted that he was open to paying market value for rent (a figure he says the city had yet to provide) and offered to invest in any necessary maintenance and repairs. At one point, he was so frustrated at being targeted for eviction that he exclaimed, "This is vindictive!"
"We are a fiduciary for the city," Coral Gables City Manager Peter Iglesias insisted. "As far as I'm concerned, this is not going to happen.""My son and I are committed to operating the business in the same manner as we have in the last 20 years."
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Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago seemed similarly skeptical that Neuweg would be able to afford the necessary funds.
Amid the explosive back and forth, Commissioner Melissa Castro asked for specifics regarding the purported "maintenance deficiencies." City Asset Manager Zeida Sardiñas responded vaguely, saying, "There are things that need to be done."
Sardiñas also mentioned legal actions the city has had to take over the beer hall's 25 years of operation, citing more than $240,000 in unpaid rent. Pressed again on the current state of affairs, she conceded that all payments are currently up to date.
Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson brought up "the value of a continuing business."
That sentiment was brought home by an emotional appeal from longtime Fritz & Franz regular Jorge Arnau, who, like many supporters who attended the meeting, sported a red-and-white Fritz & Franz T-shirt.
"There's something beautiful, I think, that we have lost in this country, which is the familiarity of tradition, of being able to go somewhere that you went in your youth," says Arnau.
"Family: This is what we've become over 20 years at Fritz & Franz Bierhaus," adds Neuweg. "How many restaurants in Coral Gables are left where you get to meet the owner in the kitchen? I don't think many are left."
Following appeals from several community members — including Neuweg himself, who reminded the commission that the restaurant has no pending code or health violations — the meeting ended with the commission voting unanimously to allow a three-week extension on negotiations to hammer out a deal.
On January 31, Neuweg met with Assistant City Manager Alberto N. Parjus.
"We had a very good meeting," the bar owner tells New Times. "This is a guy not talking down at us but listening and basically supporting our cause."
Parjus and Neuweg are scheduled to meet again on Tuesday, February 6, when Neuweg says he'll finally be told the city's stance on market value.
He remains hopeful they'll reach an agreement by February 13, the date of the next city commission meeting.
"I think we're going to prevail here, and we're going to look at another ten years of Fritz & Franz beer and schnitzel," he Neuweg says.
