Lemongrass, a Thai bistro in downtown Macon, is planning to close in June

One of Macon's downtown restaurants is planning to close in about three months.

Lemongrass, a Thai bistro at 442 Cherry St., is expected to close at the end of business June 26, owner Gary Schechterle said.

Several issues hit at the same time, he said.

Schechterle recently learned from the fire and health departments that the restaurant's fire suppression system would have to be upgraded to current code. And since his lease was coming up for renewal July 1, he had a talk with the manager at Theatre Macon, which owns the building where the eatery is located. The upgraded system would cost about $1,800.

"I said I wouldn't pay for it unless I have a new lease," he said. "We've been there seven years, and the last lease was for five years." He received two years of free rent when he first moved in.

However, the theater manager, Annette Anderson, told him the theater board had been considering eventually taking over the space where Lemongrass is located, he said. Schechterle was offered a 12-month lease with no option to renew.

He said he understands the system upgrade is something all restaurants will have to do, "but at the same time, I need to get that money back somehow, and with a short-term lease, it doesn't give me time to get it."

Schechterle and Jim Crisp, the theater's artistic director, said an 18-month lease was discussed but it hadn't been signed. Crisp said he was surprised to learn this week that Schechterle had posted on his Facebook page, "We've lost our lease ..." and that the restaurant was closing.

"We had a sense that everything was fine," Crisp said. "We didn't want the Lemongrass to close. ... We wanted to see where things were going in 18 months. ... We are as disappointed as anyone else to see Lemongrass close."

Schechterle said he understands that the theater is looking at what it may want to do in the future, "and I have no problem with that."

The restaurant employs about 10 workers, and he will recommend them to other downtown restaurant owners. But Schechterle said he's especially concerned about his chef, Tom Sarrtsud, and his wife, who have a minority ownership in the restaurant. Their plan was eventually to own the Lemongrass, "and that's where we were heading," he said.

For now, Schechterle said he isn't sure what he will do after Lemongrass closes.

"At this point, I don't feel like I want to put any more money into downtown Macon," he said. "We're looking at possibly moving north. Our daughter lives in Athens. We might buy some mountain property."

To contact writer Linda S. Morris, call 744-4223, or follow her on Twitter@MidGaBiz.

This story was originally published March 30, 2016 at 5:53 PM with the headline "Lemongrass, a Thai bistro in downtown Macon, is planning to close in June ."