The Future of Historic Dive Chez Jay Hangs in the Balance

With its storied, celebrity-studded past, iconic Los Angeles dive bar Chez Jay, born in 1959, could face extinction. The city of Santa Monica is building a massive $350-million rec area with a park, shops, and apartments just a stone's throw from Chez Jay. The question remains, will Chez Jay stay or go? According to the LA Times, the City "envision[s] a family-friendly, alfresco eatery to go with the new development."

Those operating Chez Jay are considering a $1.5-million facelift that would make room for an outdoor patio to facilitate the sale of burgers, fries, and ice cream from a takeaway window, and they plan to present such a proposal to the powers that be. Chez Jay's current kitchen would be repurposed into a private dining room and a new, larger kitchen would be built to service the restaurant.
·Chez Jay: Dive bar with deep past may springboard to something bigger [LAT]