Crime, hovering lease to shutter Cole’s French Dip, LA’s oldest restaurant

Los Angeles’ oldest restaurant is dipping out.

Cole’s French Dip — a 117-year-old mainstay of downtown LA that claims to have originated the French dip sandwich — will shutter because of vandalism, sky-high lease and “common crime,” amongst different challenges.

“The litany of causes for closing will not be distinctive to Cole’s alone; they’re affecting most impartial eating places in Los Angeles,” the eatery stated in a press launch saying the closure, set for Aug 3.

Based in 1908, Cole’s is the oldest constantly working restaurant within the metropolis.

However unchecked crime and vandalism, rising rents and an impotent metropolis authorities have withered LA’s thriving downtown — and now even the mighty Cole’s will die on the vine.

Cole’s workers needed to scrub feces off the property each different day, Brian Lenzo, a senior vp for mum or dad firm Pouring With Coronary heart, informed the LA Occasions.

The restaurant additionally listed the pandemic, current author and actor strikes, “mounting forms and authorized publicity” among the many trade’s blights.

“Many Historic Unbiased Eating places are struggling beneath the burden of those points and have already closed, whereas these remaining are combating to outlive,” the restaurant stated.

The distinction of getting originated the French dip — crimson meat in a baguette dipped in broth — can be claimed by rival eatery Philippe’s, however there’s no denying the century of affect Cole’s has had on LA’s culinary scene.

With its dusky, mahogany inside and stamped-tin ceilings, Cole’s was without delay a high-end bistro, native saloon and late-night cocktail lounge.

However its back-room cocktail lounge — known as Varnish — closed final yr, and Lenzo informed the LA Occasions that “the writing was on the wall” for the restaurant to observe.

But not all hope is misplaced: A farewell message on its web site offers contact data for anybody all for buying the restaurant.

So, possibly somebody will give this native legend one other dip.