After an onslaught of Recent restaurant closuresOne of Los Angeles's oldest restaurants could join the ranks. Chili John's owners, a Bubank institution since 1946, say they will have to close or sell the restaurant if businesses do not increase. But a new adjacent bar could help Legendary Chile Stay afloat.
“People will tell me: 'Oh, you can't get out of the business because you have been here for so long.' “It's a business and needs to earn money and stay to stay … You can't keep an open restaurant when people only come once a year.”
According to Hager, who has Chili John's with his wife, Claudine, the business never recovered from Covid losses; They are currently raising only 20% of pre-pandemics sales.
The guests have dinner at the famous Chile for decades at the U -shaped restaurant counter, sometimes going mass to try the long -term stew or try the ice cake praise, both served in the first Chili John's (and the original bar) in Green Bay, Wisconsin, before leaving west.
“We have incredible Chile in my opinion,” said Hager, “but people don't come to buy an incredible Chile, at least not enough for us to stay.”
The famous Chili John's Chili Chile.
(Miguel Vasconcellos / for the times)
That recipe of Chile was written by the founder John Isaac approximately 130 years ago, a turn in the preservation of Chuck-Wagon meat that served in his bar and restaurant in Wisconsin. In 1946 his son moved west and opened his own advanced position in Burbank.
Claudine Hager's uncle, Gene Loguercio, bought the business in the 80s as a family friend for a long time for Isaacs. In 2016, she and her husband began to help the widow of Loguercio and Claudine's cousins with the business, and around 2019 formally took the reins.
Today she and her husband Grind Beef Suet internal, clarify it for four to six hours, then add the meat and cook over low heat for 16 to additional hours. The cake but creamy ice cream cake, another firm, is the same as in 1900 when it was served at the Isaac Wisconsin bar.
“It is a wonderful, dense and comforting chili wrote in 1991. “It is the kind of things that stay with you for a while, flavoring your breathing for half a day, even if you do not accumulate the onions.”
From 2017 to 2019, Hager recalls a line of guests by the door and by the block, there to buy Chile and sit at the U -shaped counter of the restaurant. Now, he said, he is lucky if 10 people are filling the 25 rotating orange stools along the horseshoe.
On March 20 the hagers were launched A GOFUNDME CAMPAIGNWith the hope of Crowdsource's finances to keep the historic restaurant afloat. They are also depositing at the launch of the tavern in Chili John's, an adjacent bar that takes four years to open. But, he said, they could not have enough funds to last the opening of the bar.
An Instagram post on Thursday that announced the collection of funds caused concern of fans and community members, including the follower and comedian Patton Oswalt.
“The only thing that can tame the summer heat of bubank are the hard chiles and creamy pastes by hand in Chili John's,” Oswalt wrote in a message to The Times. “Once that place goes, it is the apocalypse.”
The counter in Chili John's.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
An appearance in 2021 at the reality show “Restaurant Recovery” helped diversify the menu with hamburgers, special hot dogs, chicken sandwiches and french fries, and began the renovation of the bar next door. He also provided an increase in business due to the exhibition, but those visits have gone and come.
“We are doing worse now than during Covid,” Hager said.
Many Los Angeles restaurants trying to remain afloat of pandemics losses. He continued to fight during the 2023 entertainment industry strikes. Many have not yet recovered from the effects of the wave of strikes and general Recession in local production. For a frequent filming place such as Chili John's, which has appeared in “Once Upon to Time … in Hollywood”, “Twin Peaks”, “Star Trek” and “I am the night”, among others, the fall in business was devastating.
For years, the restaurant served as a filming store once or twice a month. Last year, it was not rented to film at all. Hager said that the previous year was rented for two commercials, which generally do not pay as much as a film or miniseries.
He added that the restaurant clientele works mainly in the entertainment industry in nearby studies; Without a production truck, its customer base almost disappeared.
The restaurant could have already closed if it had not been for Hager's disability pension of its years in the army. Last year he received a retroactive deposit for two years of payments; Without many restaurant income, Hagers have been putting the pension money on payment staff and restaurant invoices.
Recently, they crossed their retroactive global sum. Soon your property taxes will overcome. There is not much more to feel they can do to hold, and Hager told The Times that it has not been paid in years.
“At this time it is basically when all my savings went to zero,” he said.
Ice cream foot in Chili John's in Burbank.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
They hope that the adjacent tavern in Chili John's, which currently opens soft on weekends and debuts completely in April, can change its future and be more relevant to the neighborhood.
Chile's fans do not fear: Chile of Chile of characteristic beef will be available at the bar along with chicken chili and organic lentils and quineros versions, even in flight, or sampler, along with the Chile Spaghetti, the Chili dog and the hamburger of Chile.
But the tavern will also serve new Burrata salads, charcuterie tables, a salmon dish, a gourmet meat sandwich and s'mores, with dishes inspired by the 15 years of Hager last traveling in the Coast Guard through Sonoma County, New Orleans, New England and beyond. (His favorite, a beloved peanut butter hamburger from New Orleans, is also planned to appear).
The local craft beer, the calimocho and the wine, maintaining glasses of around $ 10, can also be found in the tavern.
“We are excited, it's just that we don't know if we can even be able [financially] During the opening, “said Hager.” We have been putting a lot of money for the equipment and beer barrels for our tap system, our wine boxes and food. We have reached a point where we are almost completely without money, and we will not be able to pay taxes to property or mortgage. ”
Hagers expect not only to maintain the appreciated restaurant for the good of history, but also keep the restaurant in the family.
The restaurant is ready to turn 80 next year. With the renewed support of the community, they expect guests to meet around that horseshoe counter for Chile from the cannon made of a centenary recipe on Chili John's 80th birthday, and in the coming years.
“Even if people do not want to give us donations for Gofundme, I expected that may only inform people,” Hager said. “The problem would solve himself if we can make enough people come and enjoy our food.”
Chili John's, 2018 W. Burbank Blvd., Burbank, open from Monday to Saturday from 11 am to 3 pm
