# Vinaigrette to Shut Albuquerque Restaurant on November 5 as Landlord Sues Over Rent

> Vinaigrette will close its Albuquerque restaurant on November 5, affecting about 30 employees, as its landlord sues over $34,761 in unpaid rent.

- Published: 2026-10-31T03:22:13+00:00
- Section: Divestitures
- Author: News Desk
- URL: https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-31/vinaigrette-albuquerque-closure-rent-lawsuit
- Source: [Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/struggling-vinaigrette-close-albuquerque-location-030300545.html)

## Key takeaways

- Vinaigrette will close its Albuquerque location on November 5, 2026, affecting roughly 30 employees.
- Landlord Jay Rembe's Country Club Plaza Partners LLC sued in 2nd Judicial District Court on August 10, alleging $34,761 in unpaid rent as of July 28.
- Owner Erin Wade said the Santa Fe and Austin locations will remain open and she expects to settle all debts.

Vinaigrette will close its Albuquerque restaurant on November 5, 2026, after its landlord sued over unpaid rent, with the business owing $34,761 as of July 28. [Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/struggling-vinaigrette-close-albuquerque-location-030300545.html) reported the closure, which owner Erin Wade said will affect roughly 30 employees.

## The Albuquerque Closure and Rent Dispute

Wade opened Vinaigrette in Santa Fe in 2008, added the Downtown Albuquerque location in 2012 and an Austin, Texas, restaurant in 2016. The Austin and Santa Fe locations will not close. The Albuquerque restaurant was once the company's most profitable and was struggling to break even before the shutdown.

Jay Rembe's Country Club Plaza Partners LLC filed the complaint in 2nd Judicial District Court on August 10, alleging an unpaid balance since September 2025 and several payments returned for insufficient funds. The landlord said Vinaigrette owed $53,010 in unpaid rent and other charges when it issued a three-day quit notice on July 16, demanding payment by July 19 and eviction by July 20. Vinaigrette stayed and made two payments in July but still owed $34,761 as of July 28, according to the complaint, which also said Wade owes $196,689 in previously forgiven rent from Modern General and The Feel Good.

Wade said Vinaigrette does not owe the back rent Rembe is seeking and that she met the conditions attached to the forgiveness, including investing more than half a million dollars in upgrading the building. "It's sometimes hard to accept when something has burned so bright and then it's just not working anymore," Wade said. Rembe told the Journal he would not comment on the dispute because it is before the court. "Erin built something special with Vinaigrette," he said.

Wade attributed the decline to construction of the Albuquerque Rapid Transit system along Central Avenue, the COVID-19 pandemic, more people working from home, customer price sensitivity and a 2024 relocation she said was rushed. She said the landlord dispute is not why she decided to close. "I just stopped believing that we could make it work as it's going right now," she said.

## Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen's Kentucky Base

[Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/000mnzf/vinaigrette-salad-kitchen) is a separate privately held fast-casual concept founded in 2014 in Kentucky, with three locations in Lexington and Louisville, according to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data). The same records list founder and owner Bryce Anderson and a headcount range of 51 to 100. Its menu of made-to-order salads, grain bowls, soups, wraps and specialty lemonades draws on local Kentucky farm suppliers.

## Other Restaurant Closures

Sundown at Granada, a Dallas restaurant, will close after service on November 1, 2026, and the Granada Theater will be sold to New York entrepreneurs for a wellness center called Bathhouse, [Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/dallas-restaurant-sundown-granada-close-203000807.html) reported. Fun House Pizza & Pub in Independence closed after nearly 60 years and is selling off items, [Fox4kc](https://fox4kc.com/news/fun-house-pizza-pub-holding-sale-after-closing-in-independence/) reported, citing the owner's health issues and a court battle over the building.

## Companies in this story

- [Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/000mnzf/vinaigrette-salad-kitchen) · website: https://vinaigrettesaladkitchen.com

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