My favorite part of dining out at a nice restaurant is the memories. While I enjoy food, I equally recall the taste of the special treats and the laughs and stories I shared with my loved ones.
These days, I don’t dine out as much as I used to. When it comes time to pay, I sometimes wonder if my card will be declined. Or how much the expense will leave me with, until the next paycheck.
Industry data suggests I am not alone with these challenges. In fact, 68% of US consumers confirmed they are cutting back on restaurant dining this year and prioritizing affordability and convenience, according to Popmenu’s 2026 report: Restaurant Trends To Watch.
Additionally, in February 2026, consumers reported spending around $90 per week on restaurants on average, down from $115 in June 2025.
At the same time, consumers are spending less on dining out, restaurants and fast food chains are struggling with the rising food, labor and rent expenses. Specifically, more than nine in 10 operators cite food, labor insurance, energy, and swipe fees as significant challenges, according to the National Restaurant Association.
Moreover, 42% of operators reported their restaurant was not profitable in 2025. Over the past few years, following the pandemic, many hospitality establishments were forced to close their doors for good.
Recently, that list has joined one iconic restaurant that had more than century long successful run.
Cole’s French Dip closes for good after 118 years
One of Los Angeles’ oldest and most famous restaurants, Cole’s French Dip, will shut its doors for good on March 29. The closure confirmation comes after about eight months of extensions and negotiations to find a new buyer, reported The Los Angeles Times.
The alleged creator of the French dip sandwich has been around for 118 years, surviving all kinds of challenges, including the Great Depression, World War II, several recessions and periods of inflation, changes in customer behavior, and more recently, the pandemic.
Hospitality establishments that have managed to survive all this have shown a great deal of resilience. Nonetheless, even those resilient ones, like Cole’s French Dip, are now about to close their doors for good.
“While we absolutely can’t keep Cole’s going in its current iteration, and we will have to close soon, we can’t thank you enough for your patronage and support of our historic venue. We believe good things are coming to DTLA’s Historic Core, and the next iteration of our beloved venue will be part of that,” reads a pop-up message on the restaurant’s website.
Why is Cole’s French Dip closing now
The closure of Cole’s French Dip marks the loss of a rare piece of Los Angeles history, one of the city’s last surviving links to its early 20th-century dining culture. The restaurant, which had more than a century long run, started having financial challenges and first planned for closure in 2025.
Pouring with Heart, Cole’s owner since 2008, then extended the run through September, and then again through the end of 2025. In the last days of the year, the group said the restaurant will operate through January, but it continued into March, reported the outlet.
The owner kept delaying the closure as the group tried to find a new buyer, but one who would continue the legacy of the historic place, and not just replace it with a new concept. The quest turned out to be unsuccessful.
Pouring with Heart (formerly 213 Hospitality) said the reason for closure includes near-monthly financial losses that started during the lockdowns. After the pandemic was over, the already financially weak restaurant struggled with rising costs of labor and insurance and decreases in business.
“We delayed the closure because we got such a great, big response of people coming out to support the restaurant, which we really appreciate. But then business started receding again, so now at this point, we’re forced to close. We just can’t keep the doors open and keep hemorrhaging money,” Cedd Moses, the founder of Pouring with Heart hospitality group, told The Los Angeles Times.
The grand finale weekend
To say goodbye, Cole’s is hosting a special collaborative event on its final weekend (March 28–29, 2026):
- Guest chefs: Famous L.A. chefs and restaurants are creating their own versions of the French Dip. For example, Jitlada is making a panang curry fries and Father’s Office is doing a burger dip.
- Giving back: A portion of the money made during this final weekend will go to the Independent Hospitality Coalition, a group that helps other small restaurants stay in business.
- Limited edition: Each restaurant will make 118 portions of each special sandwich, one for every year the restaurant has been alive.
Source: Los Angeles Times , LA Weekly
Elliott Cowand Jr/Shutterstock.com
American classic was invented by accident
Cole’s closure is not an isolated event, but part of a broader shift reshaping the restaurant industry. Across the U.S., chains like Noodles & Company are shutting down dozens of locations as profitability pressures mount, according to prior reporting by TheStreet.
I previously covered how a 91-years-old historic bar, Smith’s Union Bar, which opened right after the end of prohibition in 1934, is closing. Then there’s legendary Houston soul food restaurant This Is It that has recently closed its historic original location at 2712 Blodgett St. after a 66-year run.
In 1974, Cole’s was designated as a historical landmark site. However, its historic significance, and its originality are not enough in the current economic climate.
Per the legend, the great original invention that later on became a widely known American classic, was essentially an accident. Aiming to help customers who had painful gums, the chef soaked some bread in beef to soften it up, and voila the legendary recipe was made, writes ChowHound.
Cole’s would go on to battle with local rival Philippe the Original for status as the original Los Angeles creator of some of the most popular sandwiches in the United States.
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‘Charles Bukowski pissed here’
Over the decades of its operations, the restaurant attracted several celebrities, among which was world famous German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer, Charles Bukowski.
Cole’s still honors the memory of the poet, as it has kept a plaque above a urinal with “Charles Bukowski pissed here,” written on it.
Mikey Cohen, has a similar urinal plaque, and his once favorite booth still sits in the front corner of the place, and famous actor and director Andy Garcia is also a fan, featuring the bar in the film called “Diamond.”
Cole’s French Dip timeline
Based on the official history of Cole’s French Dip, here is a timeline of its most significant milestones:
- 1908, The Beginning: Entrepreneur Harry Cole opens the restaurant in the Pacific Electric Building. During this time, the “French Dip” was invented by chef Jack Garlinghouse, who dipped the bread in juice (Au Jus) to soften it for a customer with sore gums.
- 1933, The end of prohibition: On the first day beer became legal again in California, Cole’s sold a record-breaking 19,000 gallons of beer.
- 1974, Official landmark status: The City of Los Angeles designates Cole’s as Historical Landmark Site #104, officially recognizing it as the “True Inventor” of the French Dip.
- 1983, A legendary career ends: Lead barman Jimmy Barela retires after working at Cole’s for 65 years (he originally started in 1918).
- 2008, major restoration: After a year-long, $1.6 million renovation by Pouring With Heart, the restaurant reopens with an updated menu created in partnership with top L.A. chefs.
- 2009, Preservation Award: The Los Angeles Conservancy gives Cole’s a Preservation Award for its success in maintaining the building’s historic character.
Source: Cole’s French Dip
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