South MS vendor says he suffered financially after eviction from Crave Food Hall
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- An owner of Chicago 6ix Street Food is suing Crave Food Hall in Circuit Court
- The lawsuit alleges Crave selectively enforced rules and excluded him from marketing.
- Robinson says abrupt termination spoiled perishables, harmed supplier credit and finances.
An owner of Chicago 6ix Street Food restaurant in Ocean Springs is suing Crave Food Hall, claiming he was unfairly booted from the venue and his family has suffered financially.
Chicago 6ix has reopened on Bienville Boulevard. At Crave, co-owner Erik Robinson told the Sun Herald, “I felt mistreated and misused.”
He has filed his lawsuit in Jackson County Circuit Court, claiming breach of contract, breach of duty to deal fairly and in good faith, fraudulent misrepresentation, intentional harm to the business and wrongful eviction.
The lawsuit also names as defendants Jim Hardin, an owner of the business, and Crave manager Todd Reilly.
Robinson is seeking an unspecified amount to compensate for his losses. He also wants punitive damages, claiming Crave, Hardin and Reilly recklessly and maliciously disregarded his rights.
Hardin said Tuesday that he has not yet reviewed the lawsuit and did not want to comment. Reilly is included only in the fraudulent misrepresentation and intentional harm claims.
Crave vendor contract detailed
Crave is part of OS1515 Downtown on Government Street, which also includes a hotel, condominiums and a steakhouse. The food hall houses food and drink vendors, but Robinson noted that about 10 vendors have left. Chicago 6ix was one of the original restaurants when OS1515 debuted in the spring of 2025.
Robinson, who is from Chicago, said he had a successful business, originally called Smoke-N-Hoagies, before he changed the name and moved to Crave. Rent, he said, was 30% of gross revenue. He said he had a good first couple of months, but revenue fell off sharply after that. At his new home, he said, Chicago 6ix is doing better.
In the lawsuit, Robinson maintains his vendor agreement required Crave to provide marketing support, enforce rules fairly and consistently among vendors, and give written notice of any breach that could warrant termination, plus allow the vendor five days to cure the problem.
Instead, the lawsuit says, Crave unequally and selectively enforced rules. For example, other vendors were allowed to expand their menus while Robinson was not. His operating hours also were strictly enforced while other vendors were allowed to close early, the lawsuit says.
Chicago 6ix was also “repeatedly excluded” from social media marketing that Crave extended to other vendors, the lawsuit says. In July 2025, Robinson filed a written complaint "documenting the pattern of disparate treatment and hostile conditions he was experiencing at Crave Food Hall,” the lawsuit says.
Food vendor alleges civil fraud
The complaint only fueled the “adverse treatment” Robinson received, his lawsuit says. On January 27, Crave terminated his vendor agreement “for cause,” although the company cited no specific incident or failed contractual obligation.
The lawsuit says the vendor’s perishable food spoiled because Crave refused to give Chicago 6ix a “wind-down” period. Robinson suffered financial harm from the abrupt closure, his lawsuit says, including damaged credit relationships with suppliers.
Robinson was unable to get his $4,000 security deposit back until Feb. 10, his lawsuit says. At a meeting, Reilly returned the deposit and told Robinson to sign paperwork saying he had received his money back. Instead, the document he signed released Crave from any legal claims, which the lawsuit terms fraudulent misrepresentation.
As sole provider for his wife and six children, Robinson said, he was under financial pressure when he signed the document so that he could get back his deposit.
Robinson also alleges that Crave failed to preserve surveillance video, as he requested in writing. The lawsuit claims the video shows another food vendor’s employee physically assaulting Robinson in August. Robinson said he wanted the video to pursue dispute resolution or litigation.
In addition to his financial losses, Robinson asks to recover attorney’s fees and any other damages proven at trial. His lawsuit was filed by attorney LaJuanda Williams-Griffin of Byram, with Judge Keith Miller presiding.
