Prominent Chef’s Insurance Lawsuit Could Be Important for LA Restaurants

Scratch Bar chef/owner Phillip Frankland Lee is suing his insurance company during the COVID-19 pandemic for declaratory relief, say reps for Lee’s lawyers. The issue surrounds business interruption insurance through Farmers Insurance Company, and could have wide-reaching effects for other operators in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara Counties (where Lee’s Scratch Restaurant Group businesses operate) during the Safer at Home statewide mandate. Without the ability to dine in, Lee’s businesses have seen a dramatic loss of revenue (as have most restaurants), and recouping insurance money is proving difficult for restaurants nationwide.

In other news:

— Philippe’s is open once again, selling its iconic French dip sandwiches for delivery and takeout.

— Tacos 1986 has opened its third brick and mortar location on Beverly, running daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (midnight on Friday and Saturday).

— Here’s video from Heritage Barbecue’s charity bbq event in Orange County from last month, which offered up 1,500 sandwiches to hospitality workers in need.

— Madre restaurant is selling off some of its rarest bottles of mezcal across both locations, including some stuff that is only available at the restaurant.

— Blinking Owl Distillery in Orange County has fully shifted to making hand sanitizer, and is even donating some to local hospitals, says KCRW.

— Ralphs is giving its employees a $2 hourly raise instead of the formerly proposed bonus for some workers, reports the Daily Breeze. The company had received criticism from United Food and Commercial Workers for its previous bonus structure.

— A new Chinese comfort food and natural wine pop-up called Good and Nice is now open for delivery and takeout, operating inside the Gingergrass restaurant in Silver Lake. It runs Wednesday through Sunday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.