The Shutter of One of Hollywood’s Oldest Restaurants Is Turning Ugly

It’s been a nerve-wracking year for Yamashiro, Hollywood’s famous hilltop Japanese restaurant. The century-old building has been in the midst of a slow, tortuous sale since last winter, which has only been exacerbated by back-and-forth lease negotiations with the new Chinese ownership group. And now it seems as though, barring a legal miracle, the restaurant portion will indeed close for good quite soon — and take a lot of unhappy brides and grooms with them.

According to multiple reports, the shutter of Yamashiro as a restaurant is all but certain at this point. The current owners, one JE Group, are known for their work in preserving spaces they purchase, but seem keen this time around to jack the rent up on the restaurant to a whopping $100,000 every month, effectively forcing out the Glover family that’s been running the place for decades.

The eviction is all wrapped up in court at the moment, but the resulting uncertainty has put some 30 couples on edge, says LA Observed. Nearly three dozen weddings have been scheduled already for the beautiful former mansion, and their fate would be unknown should Yamashiro be forced to officially close its doors as a restaurant. Of that group, Curbed LA says that some 15 are due up between now and July, leaving little recourse for any other venue.

Per the Hollywood Reporter, JE Group is laying the blame at the feet of the Glover clan, saying that the new owners have "made every reasonable, legal attempt to work with its current operator" to keep things running smoothly. So as of now, it sounds like the courts will have to decide just what’s to become of Yamashiro the restaurant following that four-fold rent increase and threats of eviction. And for all those brides and grooms-to-be? They’ll just have to wait alongside everyone else. The next hearing is scheduled in court for tomorrow.