[Photo: Flickr/Cody Simms]
EMBARCADERO—Score one for the little guys. After formally filing a complaint with the city yesterday, waterfront mainstay Java House has won its appeal, which means that the Port of San Francisco must honor the original reconfigured lease agreement, not the outrageous 500% rent increase from late summer. The victory comes as quite the relief for the Java House folks, who had a difficult time paying the exorbitant rent. Furthermore, coming on the heels of the Richmond-Starbucks debate, this ruling is yet another hint that the City just might be serious about supporting small businesses. As for the Java House folks, now that the lease fiasco has been settled, they can now look ahead to making some (slight) renovations, like making the place handicap-accessible. [EaterWire]
· EaterWire: Java House's Day in Court [~ESF~]
· SF Fights the Man: Java House Update [~ESF~]
· S.F. waterfront institution Java House faces rent hike on steroids [Chron]