The Fight for Fritz & Franz

A Gables icon is threatened with eviction

For almost two decades, Fritz & Franz Bierhaus — situated on a triangular courtyard at the intersection of Aragon Avenue and Merrick Way — has been the go-to place downtown for good German beer and food, as well as the place to hear live music, celebrate Oktoberfest, and watch soccer games on the big screen. Those days of schnitzel and schooners of Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier may soon be over — though not without a fight from its proprietor. 

A Change.org petition titled “Keep Fritz & Franz Bierhaus in Coral Gables” has been making the rounds among Coral Gables residents, garnering close to 5,000 signatures in its first week. Started by Fritz & Franz owner Harald Neuweg, the petition claims the bierhaus is “under attack by the City of Coral Gables” which is “looking to kill yet another small, family-owned business to make room for another fancy restaurant.” The property the bierhaus sits on is owned by the City, which has acted as landlord to Neuweg for 25 years. His lease is set to expire on May 31, 2024. 

A copy of the lease obtained by Coral Gables Magazine states the City does have the right to terminate up to six months prior to the lease’s end, which is what it chose to do, notifying Neuweg via letter on Sept. 27. However, the City also claims it extended an opportunity to Neuweg to submit a proposal for a renewal, which he says he never received. He has since submitted one, but now the City is planning to issue a Request for Proposals solicitation, where bidders — including Neuweg, if he wishes — can submit proposals for the space. 

“They didn’t give me a chance to bring the proposal because they canceled the lease,” says Neuweg, who claims he should’ve had until Nov. 30 to submit. “The city is not honest with me. [They] want me out of here….”

In August, city asset manager Zeida Sardinas did contact Neuweg to ask him what he was willing to invest in his restaurant. Perhaps that is what the City considered a request for proposal. Neuweg, however, was confused. “Why should I invest?” he said. “It’s an up-and-running restaurant. Everything works.” 

This current battle between Neuweg and the City is only the latest, however. Just a few weeks before the City decided to terminate the lease, there was an issue between the two parties regarding the restaurant’s HVAC (heating and air conditioning) system. Neuweg claims the issue was resolved when the City took responsibility for replacing the system, though his lease states that the tenant is “solely responsible” for installing and maintaining the system. 

Before that, Neuweg was forced to cancel or move inside Fritz and Franz’s popular festival-style events due to concerns over the noise. “[The City] told us we could only play music at 72 decibels,” he says incredulously. A normal conversation is about 60 decibels, for context.

Even further back, the City and Neuweg butted heads over Neuweg’s refusal to pay rent when nearby city construction hampered access to the restaurant. A settlement was reached in 2014, which gave Neuweg a relaxed payment plan and renewal of the lease for 10 years.

The question is why the city wants Neuweg out. The restaurateur claims that Sardinas told his attorney in private that Fritz & Franz was “not Coral Gables worthy.” The city vehemently denies this. According to City spokeswoman Martha Pantin, the RFP process was instigated by Neuweg’s announced retirement. “The restaurant lease was previously put on the market. As a result, the lease for this establishment is being put on the market,” she says. “The decision to issue an RFP is not based on any personal preference regarding the style or ‘look’ of Fritz & Franz.”

While Neuweg did try to sell Fritz & Franz back in 2021, he ended up keeping the business after his son offered to take over. What may be the motivator is rent. Neuweg currently pays about $35 a square foot, whereas retail space in downtown Coral Gables now starts at $45. “The mayor told me… this place is an asset, and he needs the most money for it,” says Neuweg. “[He said] ‘I’m ‘welcome to bid.’ Welcome to bid for my own place? It’s a slap in the face.” 

A similar situation unfolded in 2022, when the lease for Open Stage Club on Galiano Street was cancelled when the owner’s offer of $23 a square foot was rejected in favor of a proposal from famed chef Michelle Bernstein, who offered $1.3 million in property upgrades and rent that went from $32 in year three to $47 in year 15. The result was not only the loss of the Gables’ popular home for nightly live music, but also the loss of more than two years of rent — hard to make up even with the new tenant’s increases. 

UPDATE: During the Feb. 13 meeting, the Commissioners voted 5-0 to authorize an amendment to Fritz & Franz Bierhaus’ new lease. There is currently an agreement in place on principle for terms at the market rate rent, which is at $50 per square foot, between the City and Fritz & Franz owner Harald Neuweg. “This is what a good deal looks like,” said Mayor Lago. “I’m all in favor of extending the five-year lease with this… market rate.”