Samad Hakani, Photography Editor

In January, Yale sued Philly’s A Taste of Philadelphia for failing to vacate premises after allegedly not paying rent for several years.

Philly’s was located on Chapel Street, which houses fifteen of the over 65 Shops at Yale. On the restaurant’s website, it brands itself as “New England’s only option for REAL Philly Cheesesteaks,” with other locations in Norwich, Conn. and Bennington, Vt. 

The restaurant has been closed during business hours — lights off and under padlock — since at least Feb. 9.

Philly’s agreed to a seven-year lease with Yale University Properties on March 26, 2021, according to Yale’s Jan. 13, 2025 complaint document filed in the Connecticut Superior Court. The parties agreed to a monthly rent of $3,960 to $4,917. Four months after they signed their contract, Philly’s stopped paying rent, the University claims. 

This amounts to about $180,000 of unpaid rent as of December 2024. A Philly’s representative could not be reached for comment.

On Dec. 2, 2024, Yale served Philly’s a notice to quit possession, requiring them to move out by Dec. 9. The notice was served to Philly’s representatives on Dec. 2 and again on Jan. 13, per New Haven state marshalls’ reports.

In the January complaint, Yale stated that Philly’s has not moved out of the premises and asked the court for immediate possession. They also checked a statement requesting the acquisition of Philly’s “possessions and personal effects” since the property is nonresidential.

In a motion signed on Feb. 6, Yale asked again for possession of Philly’s premises as they had failed to file a court appearance.

A couple of days later, it appeared that the storefront was vacated. Yelp users have reported that the location is closed, though a user posted a 5-star review of the restaurant on Feb. 25.

Yale’s motion was denied by Housing Court Judge Alayna M. Stone ’04 on Feb. 27 since the “service of the writ,” referring to the notice to quit, was “not left with the defendant’s agent for service.”

The University will now need to procure a new summons and complaint.

Yale is represented by Anthony J. Boccamazzo of Brown Rudnick LLP. On the case files, Philly’s is designated as “Non-Appearing,” meaning that they have not filed an appearance with the court, nor do they have an attorney on their behalf.

When asked to confirm if Philly’s has not been paying rent since July 2021 and why Yale waited several years to sue, the University declined to comment on the “specifics of its business relationships.”

Philly’s, which officially opened in June 2022, was located on 1008 Chapel St.