Restaurateur Jean-Francois Flechet never went to culinary school, but he has three master’s degrees in economics and his business chops include a past start-up venture and a research stint at marketing giant AC Nielsen.
He used that business acumen to build what seemed to be Cincinnati’s next restaurant empire: Taste of Belgium. It grew from a food stand at Findlay Market in Over-the-Rhine to 10 bistro restaurants in 16 years, spreading to Columbus and Dayton.
But now, that empire is under siege, buffeted by closings and lawsuits. What went wrong?…