Friday, August 19, 2016

Will T.I. Play a Better Restaurateur On-Screen Than He Does IRL?

He'll save his family's business in an upcoming movie, but meanwhile his own restaurant is flailing

In a rather eyebrow-raising casting decision, an upcoming film will feature rapper T.I. playing a man who swoops in to save his family's restaurant. The problem? T.I. is a pretty terrible restaurateur IRL.

According to Variety, T.I. (real name Tip Harris) will star alongside Mike Epps in a "restaurant comedy" called The Trap. In the movie, Harris's character "[returns] home to Atlanta help save the dilapidated restaurant run by his brother (Epps) and mother" by switching up the chicken recipe.

Ironically, T.I.'s real-life restaurant dealings have been embattled, to say the least. After opening a restaurant called Scales 925 in downtown Atlanta last year, the rapper and his business partner were sued by employees for wage theft last month; the suit claims employees were made to work off the clock and denied overtime, and that T.I.'s business partner moved business funds to his personal bank account, causing paychecks to bounce, and failed to pay payroll taxes, among other offenses.

The rapper-turned-restaurateur at one point took to Instagram to denounce the partner, calling the restaurant venture "a mistake" in a since-deleted post. Now, it seems the restaurant's days are numbered: It's been served an eviction notice and allegedly owes more than $1 million to its landlord. Unfortunately, a new chicken recipe probably won't solve that situation.

Mike Epps, T.I. Starring in Restaurant Comedy ‘The Trap’ [Variety]

• T.I.'s Restaurant Employees Are Suing Him for Unpaid Wages [Eater Atlanta]

• T.I.'s Downtown Restaurant Faces Eviction Over Unpaid Rent [Eater Atlanta]

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