Draycott’s Opening Chef Walked Out on First Night of Service Yesterday

New Pacific Palisades restaurant The Draycott had a rough first night yesterday, as Eater has learned that opening chef Javier Ramos walked out in the middle of service.

Eater reached out to Ramos, a former Sqirl chef de cuisine, to discuss the situation, but he has so far declined to speak publicly about the blowup.

Ramos did go so far as to post about his immediate job prospects on Instagram, leaving a photo behind with a caption that reads, in part: “free agent again”.

Eater also reached out to the team behind the Draycott, one of Palisades Village’s marquee new tenants. The pastel-toned beauty sits just off the main park plaza and comes with loads of California sunlight and patio seating, and is expected to be an all-day draw for families and locals by way of a well-regarded restaurant and nightlife duo out of London. They acknowledged the loss of Ramos but declined to comment further.

It’s been a busy week at Palisades Village otherwise, with multiple restaurant and retail companies coming online simultaneously. The 125,000 square foot project includes eight restaurants so far, a movie theater, grocery store, and other fashion and lifestyle tenants. There’s Hank’s, a casual burger bar from the Blue Ribbon Sushi team (also on site); Edo Little Bites for Italian food; General Porpoise for coffee and doughnuts from celebrated Seattle chef Renee Erickson; and McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams for dessert.

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