Messy lawsuit over new downtown restaurant is dismissed, leaving one owner in charge
Settlement gives Randall Hon sole ownership of Poundtown Burger Bar.
The parties to a lawsuit that stemmed from a dispute over the ownership of a new downtown Syracuse restaurant have agreed to a settlement.
The resolution leaves Randall Hon as the sole owner of Poundtown Burger Bar, which has been operating since January at 208 E. Water St., across from Clinton Square.
The restaurant, which specializes in smashburgers, was initially operated as a partnership between Hon and Tihami Chowdhury.
After a falling out between the two men, Chowdhury filed the lawsuit claiming Hon illegally locked him out of the business. Chowdhury claimed he was majority owner of Poundtown.
Through his lawyers, Hon maintained in court papers that while the business began as a 50-50 split, he was the sole guarantor of the lease on the property. His court papers also accused Chowdhury of harming the business by seizing control of its point of sale equipment and failing to pay bills.
The resolution of the case was agreed to this week and signed by lawyers for both sides. The settlement, filed in Onondaga County Supreme Court, is listed as “with prejudice,” meaning it can’t be refiled.
No specific terms of the agreement were listed. Hon confirmed he is the sole owner but could provide no other comment.
Hon, through a company called CNY Pizza, is also a partner in two local Pavone’s Pizza shops (one on South Warren Street and another on Butternut Street in Syracuse). He is also operator of the Taphouse on Walton in Armory Square.
Poundtown offers variations on the smashburger, plus chicken, wings, mac and cheese and other “American” foods. It’s open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday.
The burger bar occupies a space in the building overlooking Clinton Square that it shares with a separately owned restaurant called Big Fella’s.
Big Fella’s, co-owned by Syracuse University basketball player Eddie Lampkin Jr. and his friend Antoine Smith, was not a party named in the lawsuit. It subleases its space from Poundtown and specializes in Cajun pasta and other dishes.
Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at
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