Ernesto Uchimura Leaves Plan Check for Unspecified New Projects

Big news in the Plan Check world today, as LA Magazine lands first word that co-founder Ernesto Uchimura is moving on from the gastropub brand.

Some time yesterday, Uchimura posted a mushroom cloud (literally) of information about his departure on Instagram, saying simply that it’s "time to move on and evolve" after his many years bringing the brand to life. Reached for comment by the magazine, Uchimura declined to detail his next steps, only saying that he’s got a few other projects in the pipeline that he hopes to bring to fruition soon.

The surprise parting brings an end to this chapter of Plan Check’s life, which has been marked by big growth and lots of continued anticipation. The burger, fried chicken, and booze model has proven quite popular with locals, and talk of a regional or even national expansion have been hinted at for years. There are already multiple locations, from the Sawtelle original to Fairfax, Downtown, and another long planned in Pasadena.

Reached for comment, Plan Check owner Terry Heller had the following to say:

We wish Ernesto the very best on his future endeavors and are grateful for his tenure at Plan Check over the past four years. He is and will always be a part of the Plan Check family. We look forward to exciting times ahead as we grow and gear up to open our fourth location in Santa Monica later this year.