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Coquette facing sheriff's sale

The owner of the French bistro at Fifth and Bainbridge Streets owes money to a former employee at his previous restaurant.

    by Michael Klein
    Published 

Coquette, the bistro at Fifth and Bainbridge Streets on the edge of Queen Village, has had its share of drama in its two-plus years:

  1. The chef who ran off.

  2. The driver who plowed her sedan into the Bainbridge Street picture window.

  3. The hungry burglars who cooked themselves dinner and left with wine and beer.

Now, it looks more serious.

The Philadelphia Sheriff's Office has the premises listed for a sheriff's sale at 11 a.m. Oct. 29.

The sale is ordered by attorney Michael Hollander of Community Legal Services. He represents Heraldo Arrellano, a onetime $9-an-hour kitchen worker at Neff's previous restaurant, Sansom Street Oyster House.

Arrellano went to court in July 2008 to claim that he was owed $1,229 for his final pay. A default judgment was entered. With fees, damages and interest, the debt is now about $2,800.

In an e-mail Wednesday night, owner Cary Neff said Coquette would reopen under a different concept. He did not address the sheriff's sale.

(Post updated.)