Directing the corner in the sexual and main streets, a line of potential clients of one hour has been waiting to obtain a final dip and drink on the French bed of school. It has been so since July 7, when the owner Cedd Moses and his company Pounding With Heart announced the imminent closure of the historic restaurant and living room.
“He returns to the old days temporarily, when we were packed all the time before the pandemic,” Moses said Thursday.
The last day of service for the historic restaurant, which claims to have invented French immersion, was destined to be on August 2. Now, due to the large amount of support of the community, as well as the defense of local organizations, including the DTLA resident association, the independent hospitality coalition, the Historic Core service, the Central Association and the DTLA Alliance, Moses has been an agreement with the Space Hospitality to Extend Service for 45 Days.
“The diners and the imbibres have been visiting from all over California to say goodbye, so we could not be more grateful,” reads a statement announcing the extension. “Although it is probable not forever, it is still a gift to keep the furnaces on, drinks flow and our personnel used for a little more time.”
Moses refused to detail the terms with the owner, but said that sales have jumped dramatically from the closing announcement. In particular, the restaurant, which in the recent past has sold more drinks than food, now sells as many sauces as drinks, he said. Until last weekend, the restaurant will open at noon on Saturdays and Sundays to accommodate the crowds.
The locals fill the Landmark French Restaurant of Cole to test their exclusive dishes for the last time.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“When the places are closing, it is always a celebration and a discard,” said Eddie Navarrette, executive director of the independent hospitality coalition. “People want to enter there and get excited and have part of that nostalgic memory with a cocktail.
“It's the experience of being in the room for the last time.”
Moses, who is also at the Board of the Independent Hospitality coalition, said he is grateful for the increase in business. But he said that Cole is unlikely to remain open indefinitely.
“We understand that people come now to say goodbye, and we cannot count on that business is sustainable,” he said, adding that the restaurant business in Los Angeles remains a “broken model.”
In addition to the lack of demand from the pandemic, Moses said that the increase in costs, particularly labor, have been a great drag for the business.
“When leaving the pandemic, we assume that businesses would roar again,” he added. “But unfortunately we never saw that wave of businesses that we expected until only these weeks, ironically after announcing our closure.”
Meanwhile, Moses actively seeks a new business buyer, one that respects the historical value of Cole's, the oldest restaurant in the city.
“We have a lot of love for school, so we don't want to sell it to anyone,” he said. “We love someone to continue taking care of themselves in the future.”
Reflected in the restaurant windows, the locals come to the French immersion of Cole.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
