You have likely paid your landlord a security deposit when you signed your initial commercial lease agreement; however, getting it back may become a challenge!
As we advise in our book, Negotiating Commercial Leases & Renewals FOR DUMMIES, restaurant tenants should talk to their landlord before their lease expires and ask for their deposit to be returned in its entirety as soon as they vacate the premises. We recommend that that you ask your property manager about the landlord's process for refunding deposits three to four months before your lease expires. In your conversation, ask these questions: