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6h ago

Cole’s French Dip Will Close Aug. 3 After 117 Years in Business

Owner Cedd Moses blamed pandemic fallout, industry strikes, soaring rents, labor expenses for the end of its downtown presence.

The sign for Cole's restaurant in downtown Los Angeles seen on July 7, 2025. The 117-year-old restaurant is slated to close on August 3.
The exterior of Cole’s French Dip in Downtown Los Angeles.
A French dip sandwich at Cole’s, which claims to have invented it.
Cole's French Dip announces its permanent closure.

Overview

  • Service will continue through August 2 before the landmark restaurant shuts its doors on August 3.
  • Cedd Moses cited pandemic fallout, the 2023 industry strikes, soaring rents and labor expenses as unsustainable pressures driving the closure.
  • Henry Cole opened the restaurant in 1908 in the Pacific Electric Building, and it was designated a Historic-Cultural Landmark in 1974.
  • Ownership group Pouring With Heart acquired Cole’s in 2008, investing $1.6 million in restoration and enlisting chef Neal Fraser to refine its signature French dip.
  • Historian Alison Martino has suggested a possible transfer to new ownership, but no formal deal has been confirmed.