Residents fear that Du-par’s Restaurant in Pasadena may be closed permanently after its signage was removed from the side of the building — though its pole sign remains — and the location was de-listed from the restaurant chain’s website.
Company officials, however, have not replied to inquiries from this newsgroup, asking about the potential closure.
The iconic company, a Los Angeles Farmers Market fixture since 1938, had listed the Pasadena location among its restaurants as recently as April 8, according to the Internet Archive.
Additionally, the California Secretary of State’s database indicates that Du-par’s Pasadena Inc., has had its tax license suspended, which typically occurs when owners fail to pay taxes, penalties or other fees the state imposes. With a suspended tax license, a business is not allowed to operate in California.
It’s unclear when the suspension was imposed; the state’s database doesn’t disclose that information.
If the restaurant is indeed closed, it’s far from the first Du-par’s to shutter in recent years.
In 2017, the chain shuttered its Studio City location after 70 years of 24-hour service. A year earlier, its Encino location was also reportedly closed after a two-year run, according to Eater Los Angeles.
In early 2017, the chain also shuttered a Las Vegas location at the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, reported the Las Vegas Sun. A news release from the hotel said the restaurant was closed due to financial reasons, stating “Du-Par’s had struggled with (lease) payments over an extended period of time.”
A saved version of Du-Par’s website from February 2017 shows the chain promoting six locations — four in California and two in Las Vegas. That same website today only mentions one location, the Farmers Market, which is owned by Pacific Southwest Restaurants, the website says.
Representatives for the company did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
For several days, social media has been abuzz with rumors and speculation about the Pasadena location’s possible closure, some suggesting it was caused by the coronavirus pandemic, while others saying it’s been a long-time coming for the chain.
Paul Little, president and chief executive of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, told this newsgroup he had heard the Pasadena eatery had closed permanently.
“I walked by a few times with the dog, and it is clearly empty and closed,” he said via email, expressing some sadness over its presumed departure. “It was the place to go for pancakes and more. They filled a rapidly diminishing niche here.
“Even with corporate support, Du-par’s could not survive.”
Pasadena restaurants on the whole are struggling right now, Little said. Many are struggling to stay open for takeout, “though few are making enough to break even.”
Little has repeatedly called on the Pasadena City Council to fund a small business relief fund and significantly alter the rules for restaurants and retailers, allowing the use of sidewalks and parking lots to facilitate physical distancing and soft reopenings.
City officials say they’re actively working on plans to possibly allow restaurants to use the public space and have floated several ideas concerning financial support for businesses and restaurants, including a newly approved program from the state that’s meant to support seniors and restaurants at the same time.
