LA Restaurants Join Ongoing “Day Without Immigrants” Strike Nationwide

Los Angeles is a municipality built on immigration, so it makes sense that this sanctuary city would be participating in the national Day Without Immigrants strike today. The idea is that businesses across the country will close, donate proceeds, or find some other way to protest the ongoing federal issues affecting unauthorized immigrants — an issue massively felt within the city’s restaurant scene.

Eater LA has compiled a list of restaurants scheduled to participate in the nationwide walk-out, which runs all day long, and we’ll be updating the list as other restaurants come forward about their plans. So far the list includes:

Closed

• Hatchet Hall, Culver City
• Nickel Diner, Downtown
• Endorffeine, Chinatown
• Guelaguetza, Koreatown
• Upper West, Santa Monica
• Bardonna (all locations)
• Phorage (both locations)
• Human Food, Beverly Hills
• Honduras Kitchen (Huntington Park and Long Beach)
• All George Abou-Daod restaurants (Farida, Bowery, Bowery Bungalow, Delancey, Twin Sliders, Mission Cantina, Tamarind Ave. Deli)

Alternate Programming

• Pok Pok LA, Chinatown: Donating part of weekend proceeds to ACLU
• The Wallace, Culver City: 20% of today’s sales donated to ACLU
• Rush Street, Culver City: Closed for lunch, limited dinner menu with reduced staff
• AKASHA/AR Cucina, Culver City: Limited menu with reduced staff

Many other restaurants and chefs have reached out directly to Eater to offer their support of the cause, and will be privately allowing anyone within their organizations to take the day to protest publicly. That means that some, if not many, of your favorite restaurants around the city could be short-staffed today, so be sure to be extra kind.

One intriguing omission from this list of supporting restaurants is The Bazaar, a José Andrés restaurant, given the chef’s outspoken resistance to the current political climate surrounding immigration issues. Andrés is helping to lead the Day Without Immigrants charge in Washington D.C. and will be closing many of his restaurants there, though a call to the location on La Cienega confirms they will be open for business today.

Know a restaurant, bar, food truck, or other culinary option sitting out today in support of the Day Without Immigrants protest? Leave their names in the comments below, and if we can verify we’ll add them. You can also, as always, use our tipline too.

Update:

The following restaurants write in to say they will also be closed and/or limited today.

• The Bel-Air, Los Angeles - CLOSED
• Cafe Gratitude (Venice closed, Larchmont limited menu)
• Gracias Madre, West Hollywood - CLOSED
• Tlayuda LA, East Hollywood - CLOSED
• Hurry Curry of Tokyo, Sawtelle - CLOSED
• Enterprise Fish Co., Santa Barbara - CLOSED
• Taco Maria, Orange County — 100% of profits to ACLU today
• Bar Ama, Downtown — CLOSED
• Wilde Wine Bar, Mid-City — 20% of proceeds to ACLU today
• Prime Pizza, Fairfax — Closed until 5 p.m.

• Loteria Grill’s Jimmy Shaw passes along the following note:

As an immigrant to this country, I fully support "A Day Without Immigrants," and would love to close today, but our restaurants face substantial penalties from landlords if we don't open, which ultimately would hurt those whom we wish to support. We also respect all who decide not to come in to work today and will not consider them a no-show.

So here is what we are planning. My very dearest friends, Yareli Arizmendi and Sergio Arau are the writers, producers and stars of "A Day without a Mexican" which we will be screening at Loteria Grill Hollywood at 6 and 8pm tonight.

Yareli and Sergio will be in the house tonight between the showings and, during the time of the screenings, a percentage of our sales will be set aside to be used as donations to support those organizations who fight for DACA.

• Kitchen 24 (Hollywood and West Hollywood) — CLOSED
• The Albright, Santa Monica — Portion of proceeds donated to ACLU
• Kay N Daves Cantina (Brentwood, Culver City) — CLOSED
• Ayara Thai / Ayara Luk — Donating 10% of proceeds to ACLU
• Superba Food + Bread (Venice, El Segundo) — limited menu
• A note from Border Grill:

Chef/Owners Mary Sue and Susan are committed to our immigrant and female communities as well as the Border Grill staff. They are keeping the restaurants open but will remain supportive of both efforts by donating 100% of the each day’s profits companywide to the ACLU (Feb 16th for Day Without Immigrants) and Planned Parenthood (March 8th for Women’s Strike).

• Kreation Juice (all) — CLOSED
• Pitfire Pizza (all) — limited menu
• Baco Mercat, Downtown — CLOSED
• City Tavern, Culver City — No food after 3 p.m., bar open

• LA’s Development of Street Vending Framework Will Help Protect Immigrants [ELA]