Penn has legally filed to evict World Cafe Live from its Walnut Street venue, attributing the decision to the company’s extended delay in providing rent payments and refusal to fulfill obligations.
On July 22, Penn petitioned a court to eject WCL’s operator, Real Entertainment LLC, from its 3025 Walnut St. location. According to a recent petition launched by current and former WCL staff members, the venue allegedly owed the University “nearly $1.3 million in past due rent and other costs” at the time of Penn’s filing.
“According to publicly available documents, as early as July 3, 2025, Penn gave World Cafe Live formal notice of its intent to evict if WCL did not pay its past due rent and costs,” the petition read. “Workers have told us that neither World Cafe Live management nor the University told them about ejectment proceedings.”
On Dec. 4, “Save World Cafe Live” — the Instagram account behind the petition — posted screenshots of the July 3 letter sent by Penn Facilities and Real Estate Services to the company's management at time, including then-CEO Joseph Callahan.
Penn’s letter stated that the venue’s nonpayment of expenses constituted a “Deliberate Event of Default” under the lease agreement, entitling the University to take immediate legal action against WCL. Penn also wrote that WCL “continued to ignore … responsibilities” despite receiving multiple “good faith” opportunities to make payments.
A request for comment was left with Callahan.
“Because we have enjoyed a longstanding and mutually beneficial relationship over the years with Tenant and its prior management, it was our hope to have found a resolution that worked for both parties,” Penn wrote. “Your failure to recognize your Lease obligations and our landlord/tenant relationship is totally unacceptable.”
Penn also alleged that WCL management recorded a conversation with then-Penn Senior Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli “without his consent or knowledge” — a felony offense in Pennsylvania.
“If your words and actions are somehow meant to bully or intimidate Landlord, this was not a well thought out plan,” Penn wrote in the letter.
Both Carnaroli and Penn’s Facilities and Real Estate Services declined a request for comment.
Callahan’s leadership at the venue was marked by significant controversy surrounding its relationship with both the University and staff members.
In June, a dozen employees walked out and were later fired after protesting what they called an “unacceptable level of hostility and mismanagement” under Callahan’s leadership. At the time, he vowed that the venue would remain open, saying that there was “zero probability” of it closing.
Callahan was initially brought in to stabilize the venue’s finances after succeeding WCL founder Hal Real, who described feeling “heartbroken” about the potential eviction in a written statement to the DP.
In September, J. Sean Diaz — a 1990 College graduate and entertainment lawyer — was brought in as WCL’s new president and CEO by Callahan, who remained chairman of the board.
“I inherited a mess but I truly believe that it can be repaired, and ultimately, I believe it is in everyone’s interest that WCL thrives,” Diaz wrote to the DP. “Under my leadership, we have built new partnerships with community organizations in the areas of workforce development and youth advocacy, and we have reimagined the ecosystem for artists and creators.”
Diaz wrote that he hopes Penn is willing to “resettle” the relationship between WCL and the University, adding that he “sees nothing but great opportunities ahead.”
As part of its petition, “Save World Cafe Live” encouraged Penn to ensure that all current staff, “including those improperly terminated by current management, are retained in comparable positions and at pay rates commensurate with their previous wages or salaries.”
In an interview with the DP, Daniel Little, who represents International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 8 — one of the two unions recognized by WCL — emphasized that the venue’s management “has not met with the union to negotiate an agreement.”
“We are concerned that [WCL] is acting in bad faith, and IATSE Local 8 has filed unfair labor practice charges against the employer with the National Labor Relations Board,” he added.
UNITE HERE Local 274, a second union of WCL workers, also filed unfair labor practice charges against the venue, according to Little.
In a joint statement, Pennsylvania state representative Rick Krajewski and Philadelphia City Council member Jamie Gauthier — whose districts include WCL and Penn — noted the importance of safeguarding workers’ rights during the legal proceedings.
“With World Cafe Live now facing eviction, it is essential the workers who made this venue great are protected,” Krajewski and Gauthier wrote. “All WCL employees — including those who have been unfairly terminated — deserve a right to a job due to Callahan’s illegal mismanagement.”
