Lawsuit derails Sink's debut on Food Network

An episode of "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" featuring The Sink in Boulder and its Buddah Basil Pizza and Texas Onion Straw Burger might never air on the Food Network as planned, thanks to a lawsuit the production company recently filed against the cable network.
Mark Heinritz, co-owner of The Sink, 1165 13th St., said the crew with "Diners Drive-ins and Dives'" production company Page Productions filmed at the University Hill location on two days in November, and he was waiting to hear back about a date the episode might air when he got some disappointing news Saturday.
"Due to a pending lawsuit between Page Productions and the Food Network, your premier episode on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives appears to have been put on hold or cancelled," according to an e-mail sent to Heinritz from Dora Long, who runs a fan page for the show's host, Guy Fieri.
Neither Food Network or Page Productions responded to calls from the Camera on Tuesday.
According to the lawsuit, which was filed May 13 in U.S. District Court in Minnesota, Food Network signed on for 39 more episodes of three seasons in 2007 and agreed to retain and pay Fieri separately from the show's budget. But, according to the suit, the Food Network has told the production company that it wouldn't allow it to produce seasons 13 and 14, and Page Productions claims the network has failed to make payments.
The Food Network reportedly has until June 8 to respond, leaving episodes of "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" that were previously scheduled to premier on hold, Heinritz said.
"It's disappointing," he said. "Of all the things that could have gone wrong, I didn't see this one coming."
Heinritz said he was anticipating a surge in business might coincide with the airing of the show.
"We have been told by multiple other places on the show that places regularly see a 20-plus percent increase in business, and we were hoping for a little push from it," he said, adding that the film crew did a nice job showing how they make their own sauerkraut and pickles, for example.
"We hope it will air," he said. "We hope they get it all sorted out."
Foolish Craig's, 1611 Pearl St., also hosted the production company when they came to Boulder, and the episode featuring the café known for its crepes and brunch concoctions premiered in March. It has been replayed since, and co-owner Mitch Arden said they definitely notice a bump in business when the show airs.
"It's been better than anything I've ever seen," he said, adding that most advertisements get "lost in the shuffle."
He said tourists to Boulder have stopped in to order the specific menu items featured on the episode -- a guacamole BLT and the crepe cake. He said the show has especially helped to boost dessert sales.