Unoccupied and undeveloped, the storefront sandwiched between
Star Chicken and Jerry’s Famous Deli has only a solitary sign
announcing an intent to sell alcohol taped to its glass door.
Yet despite its desolate appearance, the location on Weyburn
Avenue has been the site of much debate and discussion between
community leaders and developers for the past year.
Centering around the potential arrival of Sofrito ““ a
Cuban restaurant slated to take over the basement and first floor
of the building ““ concerns over whether the establishment
would turn into a rowdy, crime-ridden nightclub have continually
stalled its opening.
In the long process of gaining approval to open for business in
Westwood Village, developers are more than halfway through
attaining their permits.
The restaurant just entered the next phase in the approval
process this month: securing a license from the California
Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
Leo Prats, the restaurant’s developer, said he envisions a
relaxed environment where diners could order mojitos and margaritas
while listening to live salsa music and eating traditional Cuban
cuisine.
Nevertheless, Westwood homeowners, community leaders and the
members of the Los Angeles Police Department say the restaurant
could quickly spiral into a nightclub, engendering crime in the
area, if not properly limited.
On the other end of the debate is Prats, who said that Sofrito
““ complete with music, dancing and a full bar ““ would
simply be responding to the needs of students and the Westside.
For Prats, who owns another Cuban restaurant in Alhambra, the
work to open a similar establishment in the Village has been both
complex and frustrating.
“My daughters are involved in the restaurant with me, and
we have sat down many times asking ourselves, is it really worth
it? To go to a place where they really don’t want us?”
Prats said.
For Prats and his family, encouragement comes from the students
and Westside residents who drive out to Alhambra to visit his
restaurant.
Catering to a diverse crowd of young college students, large
families and older salsa aficionados, Prats said Sofrito is far
from the average night club ““ he points out that the dance
floor would be approximately half the size of a two-door
garage.
“If we had the chance to prove ourselves … then (our
critics) would realize they were wrong,” Prats said.
Yet two important issues remain.
First, Westwood has had a history of raucous nightclubs
revealing that maintaining control is not as easy as it may first
appear.
And second, financial pressures may cause Prats to eventually
turn the restaurant into a nightclub, Westwood homeowners say.
Westwood’s recent history reveals the particular
difficulty with operating nightclubs. Four years ago, the Duet
Restaurant and Nightclub closed after being plagued with
overcrowding and repeatedly allowing dancing without a permit.
“You have to understand that anything that opens in
another community and is then put into the Village is not the same
thing,” said Sandy Brown, president of the Holmby-Westwood
Property Owners Association.
Fears of late-night beer smells and fighting are compounded,
community leaders say, by the fact that high rents pressure
restaurants to turn a profit by selling a lot of alcohol.
Prats himself acknowledged that he would have to pay an
exorbitant amount of rent and would not be able to operate without
selling alcohol.
“When you’re paying that kind of rent ““ if we
cannot have the liquor license, we cannot compete on food
alone,” Prats said.
That situation leaves some homeowners in Westwood wondering
whether Prats would be pressured to emphasize the sale of alcohol
and presence of dancing.
“The fact is that he may have absolutely no control over
keeping the restaurant the same way that he has it in
Alhambra,” Brown said.
Supporters of Prats nevertheless say a Cuban restaurant, even
one that features salsa dancing, should not be equated with the
typical nightclub.
The social norms dealing with salsa dancing discourage
rowdiness, and instead concentrate on the love of dancing and
family, said Wendy James, a third-year film student and former
coordinator of the Salsa Dance Troupe.