Filed under:“Hope is on the horizon,” Mayor Garcetti said in an interview this weekCould Los Angeles really be about to next week? According to Los Angeles city Mayor Eric Garcetti... maybe. During a wide-ranging interview that went up last night , Garcetti delivered an optimistic look at reopening indoor dining with limited capacity as part of the red tier, the state’s reopening system. The mayor pointed at data like the decreasing COVID-19 rates throughout the region, and vaccine availability, that could collectively move the city and county out of the state’s most restrictive tier. At...…Filed under:“Hope is on the horizon,” Mayor Garcetti said in an interview this weekCould Los Angeles really be about to next week? According to Los Angeles city Mayor Eric Garcetti... maybe. During a wide-ranging interview that went up last night , Garcetti delivered an optimistic look at reopening indoor dining with limited capacity as part of the red tier, the state’s reopening system. The mayor pointed at data like the decreasing COVID-19 rates throughout the region, and vaccine availability, that could collectively move the city and county out of the state’s most restrictive tier. At...WW…

Filed under:Senate Bill 314 is an ambitious push to cut red tape while expanding LA’s al fresco optionsA new piece of California legislation could pave the way for a massive reconfiguration of outdoor restaurant dining space from Sacramento to San Diego and beyond — at least if state has his way. Last Friday, Wiener introduced , also known as the Bar and Restaurant Recovery Act, which is designed to permanently help the ailing restaurant industry by easing restrictions on outdoor seating. The bill would also seek to reform some longtime restaurant regulations and permitting processes, while...…Filed under:Senate Bill 314 is an ambitious push to cut red tape while expanding LA’s al fresco optionsA new piece of California legislation could pave the way for a massive reconfiguration of outdoor restaurant dining space from Sacramento to San Diego and beyond — at least if state has his way. Last Friday, Wiener introduced , also known as the Bar and Restaurant Recovery Act, which is designed to permanently help the ailing restaurant industry by easing restrictions on outdoor seating. The bill would also seek to reform some longtime restaurant regulations and permitting processes, while...WW…

Filed under:A City Council motion seeks to develop streamlined government policies, meaning restaurants could save days or weeks (and thousands of dollars) in the processOn Tuesday, Los Angeles’s new and more progressive-leaning city council approved a motion to streamline the heavily red-taped permit process for opening a restaurant, with a particular focus on the future of outdoor dining. While still ultimately a work in progress, the effort is intended to assist restaurants after LA’s are lifted, and will continue on a more permanent basis once the pandemic ends.Acting on longstanding...…Filed under:A City Council motion seeks to develop streamlined government policies, meaning restaurants could save days or weeks (and thousands of dollars) in the processOn Tuesday, Los Angeles’s new and more progressive-leaning city council approved a motion to streamline the heavily red-taped permit process for opening a restaurant, with a particular focus on the future of outdoor dining. While still ultimately a work in progress, the effort is intended to assist restaurants after LA’s are lifted, and will continue on a more permanent basis once the pandemic ends.Acting on longstanding...WW…

Filed under:A renewed city ordinance outlawing takeaway food at the Promenade is inadvertently targeting to-go sales at local restaurants, tooWay back in the wild world of 2018, the Santa Monica City Council to issue an Urgency Interim Zoning Ordinance prohibiting fast-food restaurants with more than 100 locations nationwide from opening on the Third Street Promenade. At the time, the ordinance was designed to avoid a cluster of big-money fast food business on the Promenade (in part because of the high rents there, which are easier for national chains to pay), thus maintaining some of the...…Filed under:A renewed city ordinance outlawing takeaway food at the Promenade is inadvertently targeting to-go sales at local restaurants, tooWay back in the wild world of 2018, the Santa Monica City Council to issue an Urgency Interim Zoning Ordinance prohibiting fast-food restaurants with more than 100 locations nationwide from opening on the Third Street Promenade. At the time, the ordinance was designed to avoid a cluster of big-money fast food business on the Promenade (in part because of the high rents there, which are easier for national chains to pay), thus maintaining some of the...WW…

Filed under:Studio City’s iconic 52-year-old Oil Can Harry’s is just the latest loss in a season of shutters, and there’s one landlord behind many of the biggest closuresSince the first Los Angeles wave of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic began in earnest back in March of last year, the city’s , cafes, and clubs have faced an uphill battle. Extended shutdowns, few federal avenues for financial assistance, and ongoing have each dealt heavy blows to the close-knit community in the past 10 months, and now LA is down one more: Studio City’s 52-year-old is closing permanently.Owner John Fagan...…Filed under:Studio City’s iconic 52-year-old Oil Can Harry’s is just the latest loss in a season of shutters, and there’s one landlord behind many of the biggest closuresSince the first Los Angeles wave of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic began in earnest back in March of last year, the city’s , cafes, and clubs have faced an uphill battle. Extended shutdowns, few federal avenues for financial assistance, and ongoing have each dealt heavy blows to the close-knit community in the past 10 months, and now LA is down one more: Studio City’s 52-year-old is closing permanently.Owner John Fagan...WW…

Filed under:County officials lay out thresholds for when outdoor dining would be prohibited, as well as when a stay-at-home order would returnThis afternoon, LA County officials laid out the thresholds of daily average COVID-19 cases that would trigger greater restrictions on outdoor dining for restaurants, bars, breweries, and wineries. On Tuesday, and set a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. limitation for these establishments accommodating people on the premises, effective Friday, November 20. LA County plans to completely restrict if the average daily case count reaches 4,000 over a five-day period or...…Filed under:County officials lay out thresholds for when outdoor dining would be prohibited, as well as when a stay-at-home order would returnThis afternoon, LA County officials laid out the thresholds of daily average COVID-19 cases that would trigger greater restrictions on outdoor dining for restaurants, bars, breweries, and wineries. On Tuesday, and set a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. limitation for these establishments accommodating people on the premises, effective Friday, November 20. LA County plans to completely restrict if the average daily case count reaches 4,000 over a five-day period or...WW…

Filed under:The virtual event also awarded a sustainability award to Nancy SilvertonThe Michelin Guide a California edition or distribute any awards this year, though awards were in other cities like New York and London. The guide declined to publish this year in California due to the devastation from the coronavirus pandemic and statewide wildfires. Instead, Michelin and fundraiser yesterday, and provided new recommendations, or “discoveries” for 25 California restaurants, with 12 in the greater LA and Orange County area.Labeled the California Family Meal, the Michelin event raised funds...…Filed under:The virtual event also awarded a sustainability award to Nancy SilvertonThe Michelin Guide a California edition or distribute any awards this year, though awards were in other cities like New York and London. The guide declined to publish this year in California due to the devastation from the coronavirus pandemic and statewide wildfires. Instead, Michelin and fundraiser yesterday, and provided new recommendations, or “discoveries” for 25 California restaurants, with 12 in the greater LA and Orange County area.Labeled the California Family Meal, the Michelin event raised funds...WW…

Filed under:Track the statewide and local guidelines, announcements, mandated orders, and changes during COVID-19, from March until todayLA is quickly approaching the five-month mark when both LA Mayor Eric Garcetti and California Gov. Gavin Newsom implemented to combat the spread of COVID-19. During that same mid-March week, both leaders ordered the .Since then, government officials changed the very nature of the restaurant industry by mandating social distancing. Restaurants were forced to change their business models with as the new normal, along with , protective gear for staff, and a...…Filed under:Track the statewide and local guidelines, announcements, mandated orders, and changes during COVID-19, from March until todayLA is quickly approaching the five-month mark when both LA Mayor Eric Garcetti and California Gov. Gavin Newsom implemented to combat the spread of COVID-19. During that same mid-March week, both leaders ordered the .Since then, government officials changed the very nature of the restaurant industry by mandating social distancing. Restaurants were forced to change their business models with as the new normal, along with , protective gear for staff, and a...WW…

Filed under:The Westside steakhouse is another casualty of COVID-19, and will be auctioning off all of its equipment and decorSanta Monica’s 30-year-old joins the ranks of LA’s permanent restaurant closures this week. The classic SoCal restaurant announced the closing by way of Instagram, and ended service this month. The original Downtown location turns 100 next year and remains open for takeout and delivery, but the Santa Monica outpost is down for the count, and currently selling kitchen equipment, decor, memorabilia, and furniture in an .Though PDC Santa Monica opened in 1990 and was...…Filed under:The Westside steakhouse is another casualty of COVID-19, and will be auctioning off all of its equipment and decorSanta Monica’s 30-year-old joins the ranks of LA’s permanent restaurant closures this week. The classic SoCal restaurant announced the closing by way of Instagram, and ended service this month. The original Downtown location turns 100 next year and remains open for takeout and delivery, but the Santa Monica outpost is down for the count, and currently selling kitchen equipment, decor, memorabilia, and furniture in an .Though PDC Santa Monica opened in 1990 and was...WW…