logo
Plumber re-clogs restaurant's pipes after dispute over unpaid bill

Plumber re-clogs restaurant's pipes after dispute over unpaid bill

Independent28-03-2025

A Thai restaurant and a plumbing company in Indiana are facing off after a plumber returned to re-clog a pipe over a disputed bill.
Jesse Sanders, Thai Bistro & Bar operations manager, told local news outlet WFIE that their Evansville restaurant recently called Heavrin Plumbing to un-clog a blocked grease trap. That first bill was $235. But the clog returned three days later, and Sanders called Heavrin Plumbing again.
After the second job, the new bill was $390 because the plumber returned on overtime, WFIE reports.
The restaurant said they were frustrated because the 'same drain clogged just days after being serviced' and it 'didn't feel right to be charged again.'
'We didn't refuse to pay—we just said we wouldn't pay on the spot, which we're allowed to do since we still had time under the payment terms,' the restaurant wrote in a statement on Facebook late Thursday.
The next day, Heavrin Plumbing returned and re-clogged the grease trap with a balloon, telling the restaurant they wouldn't remove it until the bill was paid, WFIE reported.
Heavrin Plumbing owner Joel Heavrin told WFIE the company doesn't offer warranties on drain cleaning.
'I don't have a magic wand I can wave and remove all the garbage and debris the drain line,' Heavrin said. 'What we can do is, we can snake it; we can make sure that it's open and working correctly. Which is what we did.'
Still, the resteraunt was baffled when the pipe was re-clogged.
'The following day we received a text message saying that he's on our property,' Sanders told the outlet. 'He put a balloon into our grease trap, and he's not going to remove it until we pay.'
The plumber told Sanders he would be leaving for the weekend in one hour, WFIE reports.
'If we were to leave the balloon in there, it would overflow the restaurant with water, dirty water from the grease trap,' Sanders added. 'Basically, we would've had to shut down.'
Heavrin told WFIE the restaurant had a history of paying late in the past. The restaurant disputed this claim in its statement on Facebook.
'We have paid all of our bills. We operate on NET 15 or NET 30 terms, meaning invoices are paid by their due dates—including the plumbing invoice (which is on a Net 15),' the restaurant's statement reads. 'Nothing is outstanding or past due. Nothing is overdue, and I'm more than willing to share proof if needed.'
Sanders called the police, asking them to mediate the situation, WFIE reports. The Evansville Police Department said these matters are typically decided in small claims court, but Heavrin said he didn't want to go that far.
'Frankly it was not worth me pursuing it in court,' he says. 'It was not worth my time, just wasn't worth it for me.'
Ultimately, the plumber removed the blockage and the restaurant paid the bill, but marked it as 'paid under protest.'
The restaurant stands by its actions.
'As a small business owner, I believe we had every right to question a charge that felt unnecessary,' the statement reads. 'We weren't trying to cause conflict—we were simply asking for fairness.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Patchwork fashion and bean-to-bar chocolate: meet the entrepreneurs shaking up Yorkshire's shopping habits
Patchwork fashion and bean-to-bar chocolate: meet the entrepreneurs shaking up Yorkshire's shopping habits

The Guardian

time2 hours ago

  • The Guardian

Patchwork fashion and bean-to-bar chocolate: meet the entrepreneurs shaking up Yorkshire's shopping habits

'My family thought I was mad leaving my comfortable graduate job to start a chocolate company at 21 years old – and rightly so!' recalls Max Scotford, the founder of Yorkshire's first bean-to-bar chocolate company, Bullion. But as it turns out, his hunch that craft chocolate was about to become the next big thing, was spot-on. Now in his ninth year, Scotford, memorably titled chief chocolate officer, runs Bullion from a factory in Sheffield's Kelham Island, as well as the hot chocolate cafe Chocolate Bar in the prominent Heart of the City redevelopment, and a sister company Dough Boy (a bakery). Employing a total of 20 people in the local area, he says his success was expedited significantly thanks to help from his old university, Sheffield Hallam, where he graduated in events management in 2015. 'I was working in an events management role after university when the idea for a chocolate company came about,' he says. 'Food has always been something I've been passionate about – I'd gone to catering college and trained as a chef in a restaurant.' It was after a TV show about craft chocolate caught his attention that the idea really took hold. 'They were making chocolate from scratch and, at the time, not many people were doing it. Coincidentally, I'd been making it at home, for fun. It was dubbed the next craft coffee or beer, which felt really exciting.' An unexpected payday saw Scotford take the plunge. 'When I was 17, I'd briefly thought about making protein yoghurt and bought the trademark for 'Pro-Yo'. I quickly realised that I didn't have the infrastructure to make it happen, but just as the chocolate idea was taking hold, I was contacted out of the blue by one of the biggest yoghurt manufacturers in the country, making me an offer for it.' Scotford agreed to sell the trademark. 'I figured if ever I was going to get a chance to run my own business, it was now.' With money but lacking the business knowhow, Scotford turned to his former university for help through its Enterprise Scheme. 'Returning to Sheffield Hallam meant I was stationed with 12 or so other businesses in a co-working space [The Hallam iLab] for about two years,' recalls Scotford. 'In those early days of setting up, you're completely green and full of questions. The university provided not just a place I could turn to, to hold my hand through that tricky first stage, but a group of like-minded peers to work alongside, too.' There, Scotford made use of the facilities available, from a business mentor and networking groups, to office space and IT services. Help with ongoing funding was another advantage to the scheme, with Scotford winning the university's first ever Enterprise Award in 2017, securing him £5,000. The support via his mentor proved especially valuable and helped Bullion land its first retailer. 'My mentor really understood my vision, helping me make crucial connections and tap into the network and support I needed.' As well as helping him raise initial funding, his mentor's insight made a huge difference later when cashflow became an issue, says Scotford. 'A chocolate business is very seasonal – we'll make a lot of our income at Christmas and over the summer it's more challenging. But summer is typically when we make Christmas products and need to buy packaging, for example. My mentor was incredibly helpful in helping me manage that. Without him, that sort of thing could easily send a new business under. We still speak every month now, nine years on.' He is one of many students tapping into the expertise offered by university incubators. In the three years to 2028, an estimated 27,000 startups will be established with their support, according to Universities UK, which represents the bulk of UK universities. Helen Armitage is the associate director of student futures and employability at Sheffield Hallam and oversees the university's careers, employability, enterprise and business incubation service. It's a service that offers support to current and former students through various channels, from 1:1 appointments and workshops to support in gaining work experience and sandwich-year placements. 'At 18 or 19 years old it takes a lot of confidence and self-belief to develop a business idea,' says Armitage. 'So doing it in a safe environment where failure can happen (because it will) and there's a support network of experienced staff and mentors to look at what went wrong and ask: 'How could we do this differently going forward?' is invaluable. 'Developing an entrepreneurial mindset is vital whether our students go on to run their own business or not, and having a strong peer support network and mentors are key to supporting progress in their working life. This is something we've been able to do, and the impact on our students has been fantastic.' When asked why supporting entrepreneurship is such an important focus, she adds: 'We shape futures and prepare our students for whatever they choose to do in their career journey. Progressing into self-employment and entrepreneurial paths is an avenue any of our students may pursue – either while studying with us, or beyond. So ensuring we – as a university, an enterprise and business incubation service – can enable that means we know our students have the support needed to positively progress into their future.' It's that kind of encouragement which helped make BA fashion design graduate Sarah Thompson one of Sheffield Hallam's success stories. She launched her sustainable fashion brand, TOM-O after graduating in 2021. TOM-O, which takes unwanted fabric and clothing to create bespoke patchwork pieces – all with sustainability at the forefront – secured a five-week pop-up at Selfridges flagship store on London's Oxford Street shortly after its launch. She credits Hallam's support ('it was like a little family there') as being instrumental in those early days. 'During my time there, I had access to a wide range of equipment and facilities, which helped enhance my learning experience,' she says. 'We had numerous opportunities to apply our learning, such as workshops, projects, placements, events, field trips and guest lecturers. I took an internship year too, which was hugely valuable. All the technical skills I developed there have been crucial in creating clothes for my brand, from pattern cutting to sewing. Thanks to my time at Sheffield Hallam, I feel well-equipped to tackle whatever comes my way.' Scotford wishes more people knew help of this kind was available. 'So many people finish university and it's incredibly competitive to find a job and know what to do. If graduates have an idea of doing their own thing and knew this kind of support was out there, maybe they'd be up for giving it a go – which would be fantastic, wouldn't it?' Find out about careers, employability, enterprise and business incubation services at Sheffield Hallam

New Japanese restaurant enters Ayrshire food scene
New Japanese restaurant enters Ayrshire food scene

Daily Record

time5 hours ago

  • Daily Record

New Japanese restaurant enters Ayrshire food scene

Homer Japanese Sushi Bar, based on New Street in Ayr, will open its doors today. Ayrshire 's diverse food scene is set for the opening of a new restaurant serving up traditional Japanese food. Homer Japanese Sushi Bar is preparing to open its to customers for the first time today, Tuesday, June 10. Based on New Street in Ayr, the venue will be offering traditional Japanese sushi as well as a range of Far Eastern cuisine. Sashimi, nigiri, temaki and maki dishes are all included on the menu which features classic sushi flavours such as California rolls. A range of ramen and noodle dishes as well as donburi and teriyaki dishes for those less inclined to try the traditional vinegared rice combination that makes up sushi. Side dishes include everything from authentic Japanese miso soup to chips - probably the last thing you'd expect to see in a Japanese restaurant. Updating customers on their opening plans, Homer Japanese Sushi Bar said: "Hajimemashite Ayr. We are proud to announce that our restaurant will be open for business this Tuesday, June 10. "Please leave us messages in our online pages for further queries. Looking forward to seeing you all soon." Homer Japanese Sushi Bar takes over the former Homer Thai 2 Go restaurant on Ayr's New Street which closed last year. Homer Thai 2 Go previously brought Thai and Japanese cuisine to Ayrshire before its closure.

Cafe Oregano on Holburn Street 'could have to close' amid neighbour complaints
Cafe Oregano on Holburn Street 'could have to close' amid neighbour complaints

Press and Journal

timea day ago

  • Press and Journal

Cafe Oregano on Holburn Street 'could have to close' amid neighbour complaints

The owner of Holburn Street's Cafe Oregano fears he may have to close his business amid a battle with neighbours over cooking smells. Mahmud Sirazudallah and his wife Mimi Nahid said it was their 'dream come true' when they opened the venue at the start of 2024. The 'Instagrammable' coffee shop sought to bring the flavours of India to the Aberdeen street. They had spent many years looking for the perfect spot to launch the venture, but their dream could soon turn into a nightmare… At the moment, he can only offer cold or microwaved food – which he reckons customers 'don't like'. He hopes to keep the business going by installing extra cooking equipment and selling hot dishes to take away – like Thai and Korean cuisine. But the proposals have sparked fury from those living in the flats above the premises. They say the area has too many takeaways already, and worry about the smell. One resident argued the noise produced by the proposed ventilation systems would impact their 'ability to enjoy their home'. And they argued the smell wafting into their bedroom would 'affect their daily quality of life'. Callum Scott said: 'The ventilation system is at the rear of the property, which is directly adjacent to my first-floor flat. It will likely permeate my bedroom. 'This will result in a considerable loss of residential amenity and affect my daily quality of life.' In a letter of objection, Laura Duff added: 'These odours inevitably rise, preventing us from opening windows for fresh air. 'This also significantly impacts our mental health, as it prevents the use of our courtyard as an essential space for relaxation and fresh air.' And William Scott said: 'I have deep concerns regarding the dispersion of cooking exhaust fumes within the courtyard.' Meanwhile, Callum Scott worried about the knock-on impact associated with takeaways. He said: 'I am concerned about increased noise from customers, delivery drivers, and the general operation of the premises, especially during unsociable hours. 'This will disrupt my peace and quiet and impact my ability to enjoy my home in the evenings.' Lawrence Yeats said: 'Noise pollution could harm people's physical and mental health through disrupted sleep, as people's working requirements vary.' 'There is an overabundance of takeaways in the area, already affecting the area's quality of living.' Mr Sirazudallah told us he was baffled at being singled out, as there are several other takeaways in the area. 'We have so many takeaways with ventilation system all around us,' he said. 'I don't understand why it is OK for them but not me. I have followed all of the regulations… The complaints do not make sense to me.' The business owner tells us that this extra equipment is crucial to keeping the business alive. 'The current food that I can make here, people don't like it,' he says. 'All of it is cold or microwaved. With this permission, I could offer something different. 'I'd love to do Korean or Thai cuisine, and really offer something to the community…' And Mr Sirazudallah believes that the noise generated from his restaurant would have little impact on what is already a busy street. He said: 'We have a pub next door which is loud, but no one complains. 'I'm not looking to open a late-night bar where people will be rowdy in the street. 'This would be a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere.' You can view the planning application and the objections on the council website.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store