Pimento Jamaican Kitchen and owner sued for $1M in unpaid loans, rent

After recent expansions, Pimento Jamaican Kitchen and its owner are being sued for failing to make payments on $1.3 million in business loans and back rent.

Pimento owner Derek “Tomme” Beevas operates three locations, including a full-service restaurant on Nicollet Avenue’s “Eat Street,” a Pimento on the Lake eatery at Bde Maka Ska in Minneapolis and a full-year spot in downtown St. Paul on Wabasha Avenue.

The bulk of the lawsuits involve $970,000 in loans tied to the Pimento on the Lake location, which opened with much fanfare in October 2022 following a pavilion renovation that followed a 2019 fire.

A second lawsuit filed Jan. 23 said Beevas is more than $109,000 behind on his rent at the St. Paul restaurant.

Beevas gained prominence in recent years for his intense community work. He orchestrated food drives and other assistance to his Minneapolis neighbors who were affected by both the riots following George Floyd’s 2020 murder and by last month’s killing of protester Alex Pretti by federal agents.

Pretti was killed one block from Beevas’ restaurant at 2524 Nicollet Av.

Beevas could not be reached for comment Friday. Calls to his restaurants indicate the phone numbers are no longer in service.

In its lawsuit, MEDA said Pimento stopped making payments on a $670,000 loan issued in July 2023, a $250,000 loan in November 2023 and a $50,000 one in December 2023.

With late fees and interest, the amount owed now exceeds $1 million, the lawsuit said.

MEDA has asked the court for an order requiring Beevas to repay the loans. The nonprofit also wants a court order that would allow it to repossess equipment, furniture and other assets as collateral.

Bridges said MEDA officials were working hard to collect information about what has happened to Beevas and his restaurants, especially since federal ICE agents had targeted Pimento’s Whittier neighborhood.

Restaurants and other businesses along Eat Street have said their businesses has been severely affected by the immigration crackdown.