Overview
- Cole’s French Dip will end service on August 3, marking the permanent closure of Los Angeles’s longest-running restaurant and saloon.
- Owner Cedd Moses cited the global pandemic, Hollywood strikes, soaring rents, labor and goods costs, crime and legal burdens as factors behind the decision.
- No buyer has been secured as closing date approaches, though Moses says he remains hopeful a new owner will preserve the restaurant’s tradition.
- News of the shutdown leaked on social media over the weekend, triggering more than 1,000 comments as patrons and preservationists call for action.
- Established in 1908 and honored as a city landmark in 1974, Cole’s cultural footprint includes appearances in films like Forrest Gump and TV’s The Lincoln Lawyer.