"For Los Angeles restaurants, the theme of 2025 has been unshakable resilience. The year opened with the Eaton and Palisades fires devastating both sides of the city, followed by the expansion of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids as summer arrived, which made restaurant workers more vulnerable. Through it all, restaurants remained gathering places for local communities, became distribution centers for community aid, and offered momentary respites."
"I opened my first restaurant in 1996, so basically the last 30 years I've been running restaurants in Los Angeles, and this has definitely been one of the hardest years I can remember. There are so many things happening at once between the fires; downturn in tourism; the homelessness; the situation with Hollywood since the strikes; the industry not really coming back, so many people out of work."
Los Angeles restaurants faced severe challenges in 2025, beginning with the Eaton and Palisades wildfires and followed by expanded ICE raids that increased worker vulnerability. Establishments operated as gathering places, distribution hubs for community aid, and moments of respite amid ongoing hardship. The city experienced closures of numerous beloved neighborhood restaurants, including fried-chicken staples and long-standing Greek institutions. Longtime operators experienced an unprecedentedly difficult year marked by tourism downturns, rising homelessness, Hollywood strike impacts, and slow industry recovery. Anticipated events and incentives such as FIFA, state tax credits, and high-profile openings offer potential paths toward renewed visitation and recovery.
#los-angeles-restaurants #wildfires-eaton--palisades #ice-raids-and-worker-vulnerability #restaurant-closures #community-aid
Read at Eater LA
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