Sad news about the SFC. Stopped there many times for Breakfast and Dinner.
It sounds like the owner is trying to force them out for whatever reason.
We have some rental houses in San Diego and for small operators the real hardship is turnover rate. With lost rent and maintenance costs are not recouped by increased rents. We try to keep rents on the low to average side and usually only make adjustments every 3 to 5 years. We have one family that has been with us 18 years, and another for 13.
An accountant or MBA would probably advise us to jack the rents, but short term gains are not our motive.
It will be interesting to see what happens to that property in the future. The profit margins for many small businesses like the SFC are so slim that rent incremental rent increases are hard to take.
My best wishes for the SFC crew.
Tom