Dwyane Wade Sued By Restaurant Partners For Breach Of Contract

Miami Heat player Dwyane Wade is feeling the heat from business partners after a failed restaurant venture.

On Friday, the company D Wade’s Place filed suit in Miami-Dade Circuit Court against Wade, accusing him of breach of contract. The Palm Beach Gardens company partnered with Wade in August 2007 to open D. Wade’s Sports Grill. The co-owners of D Wade’s Place, Richard von Houtman and Mark Rodberg, would not comment Monday on the lawsuit.

The suit comes after the closing of the sports grill’s Fort Lauderdale location on July 12.

That location opened in March. The first D. Wade’s Sports Grill opened in January in Boca Raton and closed in April.

According to the suit, D Wade’s Place has a lease and completed substantial construction on a northeast Miami-Dade location. Rodberg said that that location was 95 percent complete but did not know when it would open.

The Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton restaurants took over Bucky’s Grill locations. The restaurants featured typical sports-bar food such as ribs, burgers and chicken wings. Diners could watch games on HD television sets. Wade’s image was used in the restaurants, and female servers wore referee uniforms.

The lawsuit claims that Wade “failed to meet his advertising and promotional appearance obligations.”

Those obligations included making appearances at least four times a year at the restaurants and attending the grand opening of each new location.

The suit contends that Wade’s failure to promote the restaurants contributed to the closings in Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton and the delay in the opening of the Miami-Dade location.

The suit also states that Wade advised the company that “he does not intend to perform his future obligations.”

Wade’s agent did not comment.

The plaintiff is seeking damages in excess of $15,000, plus interest and costs.

In the joint-venture agreement, signed on Aug. 6, 2007, Wade consented to having his name, likeness and image used to promote the restaurant.

The contract stipulates that Wade would give final approval whenever his image was used for marketing and promotional purposes.

The contract also requires Wade to “use his reasonable best efforts to promote the goodwill of the Restaurant Concept [D. Wade's Sports Grill] and to participate in marketing opportunities.”

The attorneys for the plaintiff also had no comment.

- Jessica Hopper, Miami Herald