Cafe Tropical staff need our help!

As many of you know, Silverlake institutions Café Tropical, along with its sister locations El Cochinito and Bolita, closed abruptly on December 1st with less than one week’s notice. Each of these establishments were held closely by the community, especially Cafe Tropical, a pillar of LA’s Cuban-American community for 50 years, and enjoyed by all.

Former manager Manny Contreras has said that the former staff are "in need of serious help", as abrupt loss of pay, tips, and no time to plan could put some of them out of work for months. To make matters worse, the final checks that employees received were returned due to "insufficient funds", likely resulting from the owner's apparent financial troubles.

We're looking to raise enough to distribute at least a month's wages to each employee to help them through this tough time. All donations to this cause will go towards the 33 former staff members at Café Tropical, El Cochinito, and Bolita, including kitchen staff, bussers, dishwashers, servers, hosts, food runners, and managers who dedicated their lives to these restaurants.

If you ever received a café con leche and a pastelito from Tropical that brightened your morning, a warm plate of lechón asado from Cochinito that tasted like a warm hug, or a perfectly mixed Mojito from Bolita over cocktails with an old friend, send that love back and help the staff get through the holidays. These weren’t just restaurants–they were reminders that charming pockets of Silverlake still existed, that small businesses could still thrive when uplifted by the community, and that cuban culture and sabor really could make people feel at home, even when far from home. For many of us, it was the staff who created this feeling of belonging and care. And while we mourn the loss of these establishments, the staff have suffered the loss of their livelihoods.

Longtime Lead Barista at Cafe Tropical, Miguel Alarcon, has recommended that Manuel Contreras, former manager of all three establishments (who also lost his job), be the distributor of the funds, a role that Manuel has generously agreed to (Manuel was also responsible for collecting and distributing the $1000 raised by Silverlake Councilwoman Maebe A. Girl that was split between the 15 Café Tropical staff on their last day.) Proof of distribution will be shared here!