Business ProfileforCOMMERCIAL KITCHEN SPECIALIST

I am the owner of Cafe Tapioca, a small cafe that sells donuts, pastries, sandwiches, drinks, coffee, etc. I wanted to expand the kitchen in the cafe, because I planned to bake my own pastries for convenience and cost. I contacted *****************, who was referred to me, and he came to the restaurant and checked out my space to determine if it could be enlarged. I signed the contract on May 18, 2023 and gave him $1000 for the deposit on May 20, 2023. I waited for him to begin the work, but he wasn't easy to reach, and when I did reach him by phone, I asked him if he was a licensed contractor. He became angry and stated that he didn't want his license publicized because of scammers, etc. While that made no sense to me, I asked him when he planned to start the work on the cafe. I didn't hear from him until July 14, 2023, when he claimed that he had to hire more workers for the project and requested $3000 additional fees. I objected and he became indignant that I questioned whether he even was a licensed contractor. He said he would send me the paperwork to show that he is licensed, but I'm sure that he isn't. He never came back to the restaurant and I have a voice mail that he left, stating that I FIRED him! I said if he wasn't going to do the work, then I wanted my money returned and would find someone else to do the job. Since that time, he has refused my phone calls and I can't reach him. If I can't get any type of resolution, I plan to *** him in small claims court, but I'm hopeful that the BBB can help me with this situation. Thank you.