Wild Tomato American Kitchen Closes

BEL AIR, MD — Less than a year and a half after opening, a restaurant on Rock Spring Road has closed. Wild Tomato American Kitchen announced Jan. 16 that it was shuttering for good.

The Harford County Liquor Control Board confirmed the business turned in its liquor license after being unable to resolve sewage issues with the landlord.

"They couldn't get any relief from their landlord, so they decided to close," Liquor Board Manager Scott Baker said at the board's Wednesday meeting.

The owner put more than $300,000 of his own money into the building, according to Harford County Liquor Board Commissioner Walter "Butch" Tilley III.

When Patch interviewed Wild Tomato owner Steve Sumner in 2018 before the restaurant opened, Sumner said that hoped to be "here for a long time" at the location in Harford County. He also owns restaurants in Anne Arundel County and Harrisburg, Penn.

Wild Tomato opened in Rock Spring Center in October 2018.

Closing was something the owners reported they did "with great sadness."

It seemed they had no other choice, according to Tilley, who asked Harford County Legislative Affairs Policy Director Larry Richardson, who was in attendance at the Jan. 22 liquor board meeting, whether there was any recourse.

"He had a perpetual issue with a sewage problem in a sewage line that was emitting odors," Tilley said. "He couldn't get cooperation with the landlord."

Owners of the Wild Tomato cited "long-term building maintenance issues from day one" that posed a hardship for the small business, which announced the closure on Facebook.

"The landlord cannot guarantee us the quiet enjoyment of a smell free space, nor can they identify the source of the problem," according to the statement from Wild Tomato. "It is best at this time for our family and our staff to move forward. We thank Harford County and our great customers for accepting us and for getting to know our little place, enjoying good food and having fun with our amazing staff. We were so happy to get to know you for a little while."

Related:

• The Wild Tomato Restaurant Opening Near Bel Air

If a similar issue were to arise in the future, Tilley asked if the county would “want to intervene and help that business stay alive."

In the event that the board had constituent concerns, Richardson suggested members reach out to him directly for assistance.

Here is the full statement the Wild Tomato issued Jan. 16 on its Facebook page:

"It is with great sadness to announce that the Wild Tomato American Kitchen is officially closed, we unfortunately will not be returning. The challenges of operating in a space with long term building maintenance issues from day one have proven to be a large hardship for our small business. We cannot continue to operate under these conditions. We gave the landlord ample time to resolve the issues that started for us as soon as we opened over a year ago, and those building issues we have learned existed long before us. The landlord cannot guarantee us the quiet enjoyment of a smell free space, nor can they identify the source of the problem. It is best at this time for our family and our staff to move forward. We thank Harford county and our great customers for accepting us and for getting to know our little place, enjoying good food and having fun with our amazing staff. We were so happy to get to know you for a little while.

"We thank our family and friends for their unwavering love, support and guidance. We thank our amazing staff, for this special little place was all you, and are so sorry that it turned out this way. We will be forever grateful for you hanging in there and fighting with us.

"An Added Note: Employees have been offered positions at our sister restaurant where available Founders Tavern & Grille in Pasadena if they are interested, and we are trying to work out a gift card redemption system there as well so stay tuned on that for more details we will let you know as soon as we know.

"From all of us at The Wild Tomato American Kitchen - Best wishes."