The owner of a longtime Coral Gables restaurant says he’s taking his business to another city after several members of the city commission kept deferring his plan to host a World Cup watch party on the plaza in front of his business.
Harald Neuweg has owned Fritz & Franz Bierhaus in Coral Gables for more than two decades. He said for years, they’ve hosted FIFA World Cup watch parties at the restaurant and on the plaza in front of his business, and he hoped to do the same this year.
Neuweg said he presented a proposal for a watch party on the plaza, and the city council wanted him to come back with a new plan. He presented the new plan, but said the council delayed voting on his proposal again.
“We thought this was a done deal with our detailed plan,” Neuweg said.
Neuweg said he’s tired of the back-and-forth and recently withdrew his plan. After more than 20 years, he said he’s planning on moving his business to another city.
“We are not playing this game anymore, we’re not bending down to the will of the mayor or commissioners who are against this,” Neuweg said. “I do no longer wish to talk with the mayor or Coral Gables.”
Mayor Vince Lago is one of the three people on the council who voted to delay the vote. He said he’s in favor of an event, but his main concern is safety.
“We’re just asking for cooperation,” Lago said. “Imagine having an event, multiple other events downtown, a 4th of July event and a World Cup game. We don’t have enough police to staff. My first responsibility is to the residents. I need to make sure our police and firefighters are available to meet the needs of our community.”
Lago said he’s reached out to Neuweg more than once to meet and talk about the proposal, but the meeting hasn’t happened.
City commissioner Melissa Castro is one of the two commissioners against delaying the vote. She told NBC6 in a statement in part, “I do not support what is happening to Fritz & Franz. As seen publicly during Commission meetings, I believe the treatment of this business has been distasteful, disrespectful, and deeply unfair.”
The mayor said he wants to do what’s right for the city.
“I don’t have a grudge against him. I want to support the small businesses in our community, but I also don’t want to compromise public safety,” Lago said.
Neuweg said he will hold watch parties without using the plaza, but his time with the city is coming to an end.
“I’m not upset anymore, I’m sitting back and seeing how the city will handle this plaza,” Neuweg said.
The restaurant was at the center of a controversial decision in 2024, going through a lease battle with the city.
