Long-Overdue Restaurants Paying Off Tax Debts

Good news for county coffers — some restaurant owners have been repaying their long-overdue tax debts.

A new list of meals tax delinquencies from the Arlington County Treasurer’s Office shows that certain restaurants have reduced or even eliminated their debts. Here are the highlights from the list, as of May 31.

• Chef Roberto Donna continues to make small court-ordered payments on his $150,715.96 debt from the failed Bebo Trattoria
• The Front Page in Ballston (4201 Wilson Blvd) has repaid most of the $46,531.82 it owed in February — it now owes only $2,935.59
• Extra Virgin in Shirlington (4053 Campbell Avenue), which still owes the most of any restaurant that’s currently in business, reduced its debt from $71,171.50 to $65,098.93
• Kora Restaurant in Crystal City (2250 Crystal Drive) has reduced its debt from $25,908.06 to $21,400.40
• In one not-so-bright spot, the Quiznos in Virginia Square (3434 Washington Blvd) has seen its debt increase from $31,429.93 to $36,526.74

In addition to the Virginia Square location, four other Quiznos franchises owe the county money. That makes Quiznos the most delinquent chain in Arlington (by number of restaurants). The debts include:

• Quiznos (1215 S. Clark Street) in Crystal City — $9,596.13
• Quiznos (3000 Washington Blvd) in Clarendon, now defunct — $6,069.57
• Quiznos (2231 Crystal Drive) in Crystal City — $5,421.32
• Quiznos (1555 Wilson Blvd) in Rosslyn — $2,519.40

The 4 percent county meals tax is collected on all prepared foods and beverages sold in Arlington. This tax is passed directly on to the consumers in the form of a tax charge on the bill. Sometimes restaurants simply pocket the cash rather than remit it to the county, leading to delinquencies and debt.