By John Schwing

WESTPORT — A hole in rent owed by Donut Crazy for its leased premises at the Saugatuck Railroad Station has prompted the town to initiate eviction proceedings.

The doughnut maker, which according to published reports has shuttered outlets in other state communities, has not paid rent for its Westport shop since last August, according to Capt. Eric Woods, spokesman for the Police Department, which manages the town’s rail depots and parking lots. 

The accrued past due rent is  $17,229, Woods said last week.

Shop has lease dating to 2021

The town’s current five-year lease with “Donut Crazy, LLC” for a spot on the Ferry Lane side of the railroad terminal dates to 2021. The business was granted an initial lease for the premises in 2016, with ownership during that period changing back and forth between two LLCs, according to the most recent, amended complaint filed April 14 by the town in state Superior Court Court. 

The problem came to light at the April 2 Board of Finance meeting when Police Chief Foti Koskinas briefly mentioned problems with the Donut Crazy lease while discussing renewal of the lease for Avis car rental, another tenant at the Saugatuck depot.

Koskinas told the board that Donut Crazy had fallen “significantly behind in rent,” adding that he was generally unhappy with the operation, citing lack of attention to “cleanliness” as one of the factors.

The business, according to court documents, was initially served with a notice “to quit” the premises last Dec. 12, with a deadline to clear out by Dec. 31. That did not happen, according to court filings.

Numerous attempts to contact Donut Crazy were unsuccessful. No one answered the phones at the business’s office in Stratford or the Westport shop, and voicemail messages could not be left.

Question about Avis lease at depot

During the same Board of Finance meeting, a proposed five-year extension of the rail depot lease for Avis Budget Car Rental, LLC, got a positive reception.

Koskinas described Avis as a “great” tenant, citing its consistent on-time payment of rent.

Nonetheless, the board held off approving the pact after member Allyson Stollenwerck raised concerns about language that appeared to allow Avis to unilaterally renew the lease whether the town agreed to the terms or not.

She suggested the lease be revised to give the town an “escape clause” should it choose not to renew the agreement with Avis.

After other board members agreed with Stollenwerck, Koskinas said he would consult with the Town Attorney’s Office to revise the relevant language in the proposed lease. He added that he does not anticipate a problem with Avis agreeing to sign the lease with that change.

John Schwing, consulting editor of the Westport Journal, has held senior editorial and writing posts at southwestern Connecticut media outlets for four decades. Learn more about us here.