CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The owners of Portis Kountry Kitchen said they were frustrated after constant plumbing problems had them having to close their doors to customers.
The restaurant is located in the old Wells Fargo building at 615 N. Upper Broadway. The restaurant owners say they’re convinced the homeowner isn’t going to help them at all.
The plumbing problem has persisted for several months, resulting in Katina and Joseph Stith turning away customers. Sometimes longer than a week. But this isn’t the first time.
“Every time someone uses the restroom in this building or it rains, the water backs up in the street, and since we’re in the basement, we get all the extra water,” Stith said.
The extra she refers to is not only water, but also toilet paper, garbage and human waste. All of this flows into the dishwashing area of the restaurant.
The owners have operated PKK in the Wells Fargo building for over a year and said they have tried to contact management each time this issue has arisen.
“Just last month they shut us down for a whole week,” Stith said. “We asked if they could compensate us for this time as it is a construction issue.” We received no compensation for this time, in fact the wording was “Use your own insurance.”
The Stiths said they even hired their own team to examine the pipes after discovering they were damaged and corroded. The damaged pipes and flooded drains are now affecting the restaurant’s walls and carpeting.
In addition to raising their concerns with Action 10, the owners said they have also reached out to the building owner, the city council and others who may be able to help. However, they said they received no other support other than help from the Downtown Management District.
In fact, Katina and Joseph just received a notice to vacate in 30 days. Though they already had future plans to move to a new building to accommodate growing customer traffic, the couple said what they really want from the building’s owners is ownership and responsibility.
“We just want the building to take responsibility for the problems that continue to exist here in this building. Instead, they are currently repairing the lobby area, but the plumbing is an issue,” Stith said.
The owners attribute the alleged carelessness of property management to their classification as a small black-owned business in Corpus Christi.
Stith said she and her husband felt heartbroken and felt discriminated against because they actively worked to set a standard and represent all black-owned businesses in the area.
Tyko Management, which owns the building, sent a statement to Action 10 stating: “Tyko Management responded promptly to any plumbing issues brought to our attention.” We dispute all statements to the contrary by Mr and Mrs Stith. There are no ongoing problems with the sanitary facilities. As a company that supports local Black owned businesses, we reject any allegations of discrimination against us as they are untrue and unfounded.”
For the time being, the PKK hopes to be operational again soon.
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