This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Managers of The Gateway shopping mall have evicted the SkyBox Sports Grille weeks after winning a nearly $485,000 judgment against the Salt Lake City bar.
Thomas Buxton, managing partner for SkyBox Properties, said the closing came as a shock, and he is working to reopen the restaurant. But at this point, 50 employees are out of work.
SkyBox continues to operate a second location at 651 W. Jordan Parkway at the River Park development in South Jordan.
The Salt Lake City SkyBox bar, at 4 S. Rio Grande St., was one of the original tenants when The Gateway opened.
On Tuesday, a Salt Lake County constable's notice was affixed to the bar's front door, saying locks had been changed. Gateway manager, Inland Southwest Management, said in a statement that a new tenant for the space is being sought.
"Over the past several months, Inland Southwest Management has worked closely with the owners of SkyBox Sports Grille to keep them operating at The Gateway," said Inland spokeswoman Heather Nash. "Unfortunately, after significant efforts, we were unable to come to an agreement on terms."
On Oct. 19, the management company won a 3rd District Court judgment against SkyBox, including $191,289 in principal owed, along with treble damages, attorney fees and court costs.
The Gateway is owned by Inland Real Estate Group of Companies, based in Oak brook, Ill. The firm's other Utah properties include the American Express office building inTaylorsville, 4315 S. 2700 West, and Promenade at Red Cliff mall, 245 N. Red Cliffs Drive in St. George.
In June, an Inland affiliate spent $23.5 million to acquire its fourth Utah property at Draper Crossing, a shopping center in the south Salt Lake Valley anchored by a Smith's grocery store.