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News 10

July 9, 2009

Tiny burger "dive" will close because of lawsuit

By George Warren

Squeeze Inn

The Squeeze Inn was featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives"

Sacramento, CA - The owner of the tiny Squeeze Inn said he will close his restaurant and seek a larger building as the result of a lawsuit filed this week by a disabled woman who complained about access.

News10 on Tuesday broke the story of the latest legal trouble facing Squeeze Inn owner Travis Hausauer, who has been sued twice since his quirky restaurant was featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives."

Kimberly Block, the woman who filed the most recent civil rights lawsuit in Sacramento federal court, pointed out the Squeeze Inn lacks adequate space to maneuver a wheelchair as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Document: Read the lawsuit here

Federal court records show Block has filed similar ADA complaints against three other Sacramento businesses: Lil Joe's restaurant at 1710 Del Paso Blvd., Quick Market at 2839 Franklin Blvd., and the Market Basket at 3845 Marysville Blvd. The case against the Market Basket was dismissed this week following a confidential settlement.

All four lawsuits were filed by the Singleton Law Group in Eureka, a firm with a reputation for being active in ADA litigation. Attorney Jason K. Singleton has filed 106 lawsuits in the eastern district of California since 2003. Calls to the firm were not returned.

The Squeeze Inn's Hausauer told News10 the required modifications would be impractical and expensive, and he doesn't have the money to fight the lawsuit. He said he would keep the current Squeeze Inn location open until he finds a new site, preferably in the same general area.