BY GREGORY A. HALL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON -- The popular Coach & Four restaurant is negotiating a possible land sale to Corporex Cos., one of the eatery's owners said Wednesday.
The restaurant reopened on Wednesday, two days after Kenton County Sheriff's deputies closed the downtown landmark and changed its locks.
A Franklin Circuit Court order to close it was issued because the restaurant, owned by Tom Ferguson and Kevin Porter, owes the state $22,219 in back taxes.
Owners said the closing was a miscommunication between the sheriff's department and the state. They have been negotiating to pay the debt and keep the restaurant open.
Mr. Porter said discussions are preliminary, but they include selling the land to Corporex and leasing the restaurant back.
Speculation about the restaurant's future has grown as downtown development has boomed around it. Business has slumped as the places customers once parked are being built on.
The land is included in a downtown development agreement between Corporex and the city of Covington. Corporex has made previous offers to buy the restaurant that have been turned down.
Corporex declined to comment.
The restaurant, which debuted in 1981 on Scott Boulevard, has become an institution with loyal followers on both sides of the river.
Once area construction is finished, Mr. Porter said, the restaurant will thrive again.
"There's no question about that," he said. "As long as it's a level playing field, I have no problem running a restaurant."
