While the venue once marketed itself as a high-energy destination, recent months have seen the Theatre Box building’s bar-and-club ecosystem deteriorate in public view - culminating in Mr. Tempo’s abrupt exit and a new legal offensive from the very operator who was previously fighting off eviction.
The closure has been accompanied by fresh, unverified allegations circulating on social media. Instagram account WTF San Diego reported that the operators “finally left” amid claims of nearly $1 million in unpaid rent and that they were seen allegedly removing property belonging to the building as they departed. SanDiegoVille has not independently confirmed the rent figure or the allegation involving property, and neither Mr. Tempo’s ownership nor the Theatre Box landlord has issued a public statement addressing the claims. But the optics match a broader pattern: businesses that arrived with hype, then unraveled into silence, lawsuits, and shuttered doors.
At the same time, Mr. Tempo-related litigation is already stacking up from another direction. A separate premises liability lawsuit filed October 10, 2025 - Valenzuela v. Tempo 5th Ave LLC, et al. - names Mr Tempo Cantina, Tempo 5th Ave LLC, Chingon Restaurant Group LLC, and Theatre Box-San Diego, LLC among the defendants. That case remains pending, with a case management conference set for March 13, 2026. And the earlier commercial unlawful detainer case filed by 701 Fifth Ave. Properties LLC against Tempo Universe LLC and Cueva - initially framed as the building’s attempt to evict the tenant - shows as dismissed, with multiple future hearing dates marked canceled as a result.
The closure has been accompanied by fresh, unverified allegations circulating on social media. Instagram account WTF San Diego reported that the operators “finally left” amid claims of nearly $1 million in unpaid rent and that they were seen allegedly removing property belonging to the building as they departed. SanDiegoVille has not independently confirmed the rent figure or the allegation involving property, and neither Mr. Tempo’s ownership nor the Theatre Box landlord has issued a public statement addressing the claims. But the optics match a broader pattern: businesses that arrived with hype, then unraveled into silence, lawsuits, and shuttered doors.
Court records now show the conflict has escalated far beyond a routine landlord-tenant dispute. On December 17, 2025, Jorge "Mr. Tempo" Cueva - derivatively on behalf of Tempo Universe LLC - filed a new civil case in San Diego Superior Court against 701 Fifth Ave. Properties LLC and multiple individuals and entities tied to the Theatre Box ownership web, including Elie Samaha, Freddy Braidi, Sherwin Jarol, and Tempo 5th Ave LLC. The complaint asserts a sweeping list of claims, including fraud, negligent misrepresentation, conversion, breach of fiduciary duty, constructive fraud, unjust enrichment, civil extortion, and additional causes of action under California’s Penal Code and Business & Professions Code, along with a demand for accounting. The case is pending, with an initial case management conference currently set for July 2, 2026.
At the same time, Mr. Tempo-related litigation is already stacking up from another direction. A separate premises liability lawsuit filed October 10, 2025 - Valenzuela v. Tempo 5th Ave LLC, et al. - names Mr Tempo Cantina, Tempo 5th Ave LLC, Chingon Restaurant Group LLC, and Theatre Box-San Diego, LLC among the defendants. That case remains pending, with a case management conference set for March 13, 2026. And the earlier commercial unlawful detainer case filed by 701 Fifth Ave. Properties LLC against Tempo Universe LLC and Cueva - initially framed as the building’s attempt to evict the tenant - shows as dismissed, with multiple future hearing dates marked canceled as a result.
Mr. Tempo’s departure further accelerates the collapse of Theatre Box as a nightlife destination. Earlier this fall, the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control revoked the sole liquor license used by all bars in the building, citing repeated nuisance conditions, law enforcement responses, and operational violations. With the license suspended and alcohol service legally barred, remaining tenants were effectively stripped of the ability to operate, pushing the already-fractured complex closer to full vacancy.
The closure also follows heightened scrutiny after a fatal shooting inside the building in August 2025, which sparked a wrongful death lawsuit alleging systemic security failures across the property. Since then, additional venues within Theatre Box - including Cowboy Cantina and the short-lived but highly-hyped Roxbury nightclub - have shuttered amid reports of unpaid wages, health code violations, and abandoned operations. What was once marketed as a multi-level nightlife hub has now become, in the words of observers, a “ghost town” in the heart of the Gaslamp.
The cascading legal chaos raises a new, immediate question for the Gaslamp: what is actually happening inside Theatre Box now - and who is still in control. Among the unresolved threads is Laya, a Middle Eastern-meets-California restaurant concept previously announced for the former Sugar Factory space within the complex. There has been little recent public clarity on whether Laya remains on track, has been delayed, or has quietly fallen victim to the same structural dysfunction that has swallowed other Theatre Box tenants. With the property now tied up in overlapping disputes involving ownership, operations, and alleged financial breakdowns, even projects that once sounded inevitable are starting to look like collateral damage.
Mr. Tempo’s closure does not read like an isolated business decision - it looks like another chunk breaking off from a building that has become synonymous with instability. As Theatre Box continues to shed tenants and stack litigation, the Gaslamp is left with an increasingly grim landmark: a once-promoted nightlife “experience” complex that is now better known for lawsuits, regulatory collapse, and shuttered concepts than for anything happening inside its doors.
As of publication, there has been no official confirmation of Mr. Tempo Cantina reopening elsewhere in San Diego, despite rumors of the brand scouting new locations. The company's sister concept, King and Queen Cantina in San Diego's Little Italy, remains open.
The closure also follows heightened scrutiny after a fatal shooting inside the building in August 2025, which sparked a wrongful death lawsuit alleging systemic security failures across the property. Since then, additional venues within Theatre Box - including Cowboy Cantina and the short-lived but highly-hyped Roxbury nightclub - have shuttered amid reports of unpaid wages, health code violations, and abandoned operations. What was once marketed as a multi-level nightlife hub has now become, in the words of observers, a “ghost town” in the heart of the Gaslamp.
The cascading legal chaos raises a new, immediate question for the Gaslamp: what is actually happening inside Theatre Box now - and who is still in control. Among the unresolved threads is Laya, a Middle Eastern-meets-California restaurant concept previously announced for the former Sugar Factory space within the complex. There has been little recent public clarity on whether Laya remains on track, has been delayed, or has quietly fallen victim to the same structural dysfunction that has swallowed other Theatre Box tenants. With the property now tied up in overlapping disputes involving ownership, operations, and alleged financial breakdowns, even projects that once sounded inevitable are starting to look like collateral damage.
Mr. Tempo’s closure does not read like an isolated business decision - it looks like another chunk breaking off from a building that has become synonymous with instability. As Theatre Box continues to shed tenants and stack litigation, the Gaslamp is left with an increasingly grim landmark: a once-promoted nightlife “experience” complex that is now better known for lawsuits, regulatory collapse, and shuttered concepts than for anything happening inside its doors.
As of publication, there has been no official confirmation of Mr. Tempo Cantina reopening elsewhere in San Diego, despite rumors of the brand scouting new locations. The company's sister concept, King and Queen Cantina in San Diego's Little Italy, remains open.
