West Covina Will Either Get a Porto's Bakery or Strip Club

Fans of Porto's Bakery, the insanely popular Cuban bakery operation with outlets in Glendale, Burbank, and Downey, is close to acquiring a new location in West Covina. However, the deal isn't signed yet, with a snag in the real estate acquisition. According to SGV Tribune, which first reported the story, a strip club called Crazy Horse (which has a rare X-rated license in a city that recently signed an adult entertainment moratorium) currently occupies the real estate that Porto's intends to purchase.

However, Porto's is asking the city of West Covina for a tax revenue sharing deal to help allay the initial $10 million dollar investment that the bakery is planning to making on the property. Porto's claims that their operation will bring in 175 jobs and generation $25 million dollars annually in revenue (which would make Porto's one of the most profitable bakeries in Los Angeles if you combine the three current eateries).

If the Porto's deal doesn't come through, then that'll leave the current owners with the option of retaining their adult entertainment license. It's an odd bit of leverage that Porto's yields upon a municipality like West Covina, but if the city wants to improve its amenities options for residents, it might be best to take the offer. If not, Councilman Mike Spence is confident that another business would swoop in to acquire the land. Though one wonders, would that theoretical "other" eatery be better than Portos' excellent pan con lechon, meat-filled potato balls, and guava-cheese rolls? Probably not.

Remember that Burbank and Downey also gave Porto's sweet tax deals to open in their neighborhoods. How many food concepts could pull its weight around with municipalities like that?

Porto's Bakery
1360 West Garvey Avenue South
West Covina, CA 91790