Save HLAY: Help Us Reopen Our Restaurant

If given the chance, we would love to reopen our beloved Los Angeles restaurant. Its name was Here's Looking At You.

 

Here's Looking At You served its first beef tartare on July 13, 2016. Its owners, two friends who believed in each other, had achieved their dream. In 2017, HLAY was named a "Restaurant of the Year " and "Best Cocktail Bar in America" by Food & Wine Magazine. That same year, the late Jonathan Gold would rank HLAY #26 in the LA Times' "101 Best Restaurants in LA." In 2018, Eater named it one of "America's 38 Essential Restaurants." In 2019, author Patric Kuh published "Becoming a Restaurateur," which told the story of how HLAY was born. On March 15, 2020, the restaurant closed in the middle of brunch service, due to a power outage, an ominous preamble to what would be the unprecedented closure of more than 110,000 restaurants (and the loss of 11 million restaurant jobs) all around the country in light of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

 

Months later, with the crutch of a PPP loan, the restaurant would reopen -- but only for six weeks. Heartbreakingly, there was simply not enough business to stay open and sustain jobs. We would close again on July 12, 2020, the eve of what would've been the restaurant's fourth birthday.

 

For 16 months, you shared in both our grief and our #HLAYforever nostalgia of fond, delicious memories. Shortly after our seemingly temporary closure  on July 12, we were forced by our landlord to put the restaurant up for sale. We hollowed out the restaurant and sold off sentimental things to keep up with monthly insurance payments, unrelenting tax fees, and more. But little did we know, the longest sale of all time would never close. And ...

 

... now, a lifetime has passed, and we have another chance to reopen our restaurant.

 

And with all of our hearts and much mustered difficulty, we are hoping that you and everyone else that this restaurant has touched will be willing to help.

 

We owe SO much in back rent -- nearly $90,000. But if we can get the financial help that we need, we promise that we will bring back a special restaurant. One that you've missed, one perhaps you regret that you never got to try, one that was deemed one of America's saddest restaurant closures, one that will earnestly continue to serve and reimagine the restaurant ideal -- deliciously, socially, and beyond.

 

Our hope is to reopen in December. As early as possible. We want to bring back jobs. With sincere conviction, we will find staff willing to help us revive this dream restaurant (labor shortage be damned). We are very lucky that several team members, whom we consider family, are excited to come back to work and resurrect our old restaurant home. At the latest, we want to open by New Year's Eve. Imagine that party ... our hearts (and our bellies!) will be so very full. And even more so, the party would help us pay down the next day's rent due.

 

About the Owners:

 

Two friends believed in each other and sought to open their first restaurant together: Lien Ta and Jonathan Whitener opened Here's Looking At You in 2016. In late 2019, they opened their second restaurant together, All Day Baby. Since the onset of the pandemic, they've survived on unemployment, making sacrifices, and summoning courage every inch of the way.

 

Chef Jonathan was "born to cook," a declaration made by former Los Angeles Magazine restaurant critic Patric Kuh, author of "Becoming a Restaurateur," a book that tells the story of how Jonathan & Lien came to open their first restaurant, Here's Looking At You. Raised in Huntington Beach, Calif., as a teenager, Jonathan took a job in the dish pit to save money for a car. Soon thereafter, he would answer his calling and attend the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. Jonathan went on to cook at Marche Moderne, Craft, Mirazur, Patina, Mezze and Animal. His pet pig, Winston, is an escape artist and has been seen roaming the streets of Altadena to entertain the neighborhood children.

 

Lien learned all about Southern hospitality while growing up in Marietta, a suburb of Atlanta, Ga. She attended college in Boston & New York City, and before working in restaurants, she was an entertainment reporter & editor for eight years. She vowed to open her own restaurant one day, and finally made good on her word in 2016 when Here's Looking At You was born. In 2017, she was a fellowship recipient of the James Beard Foundation’s inaugural class of the Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program. In light of COVID-19, she appeared at the 2020 Democratic National Convention describing her experience as a small business owner managing the pandemic. Lien is the co-founder of Regarding Her, a non-profit organization devoted to the advancement and empowerment of women restaurateurs. Learn more about Lien HERE .

 

About the Staff:

 

We have staff that have worked with us since the very first day of service at Here's Looking At You. We even have staff that we've known as colleagues for nearly a decade. We employ talented, unique individuals, and it is our daily privilege to listen, to learn and to inspire growth in these extraordinary humans. Our guests know our staff by name. We have had staff that have moved on from our restaurants, whom we still consider family, and have achieved milestones within new endeavors. Because of the pandemic, we sacrificed so many promising team members, but many of whom have landed safely at new jobs -- and have attributed their experience at HLAY to their ability to land such great opportunities. Providing leadership is paramount to us, and we are so very lucky to be employers, manifesting camaraderie and driving excellence within our four walls and absolutely beyond.

 

About the Community:

 

The loyalty of our community is staggering. Yes, we're looking at you. We are nothing without our guests. When we closed HLAY last July, we received countless letters expressing their love for our restaurant and their heartbreak for its ending. Guests like Adam, who proposed to his wife at HLAY and planned their wedding over subsequent meals at the restaurant. We've seen children grow up at our restaurant and try frog's legs for the first time. We've seen HLAY's guests support us at our sister restaurant, and even Venmo us cash to send to our employees affected by sudden closures due to COVID outbreaks or government-mandated closures. We have created cocktails in the spirit of our guests and honored their story on our seasonal themed menus -- like the julep-inspired "Hat Lady," a tribute to a guest who always selected the best hats to wear to HLAY. But still, it's the stories of love -- found and celebrated at HLAY that we will never forget. Here's one example of a letter:

 

I met the love of my life last February at Here's Looking at You.

 

It was our first date and neither of us had been there. We talked too loud. We ate too much and drank incredible wine.

 

It's one of the most spectacular memories of my life. The food was incredible. The wine was perfect. The service and the restaurant felt like we were home.

 

Thank you.

 

P.S. -- Yes, we're still seeing each other.

 

How We Will Use the Funds Raised:

 

An important portion of funds will directly benefit the realizing of reopening:

 

- Staffing up: rehiring & training. We can't do it alone!

- Rebuilding our pantry & bar: We need actual food & products to cook and serve!

- Repairs & equipment: A restaurant that's been in a coma for over a year must undergo "physical therapy."

- Equipment & furniture: Some equipment will need upgrades; we need to get the rental units back, like the dishwashing machine, the ice machines, et al. We sold our entryway chandelier, sigh, so we need a new one. And oh, if we're lucky, we'll build an outdoor patio.

 

The majority of funds raised will address back rent due to our landlord, plus bills associated with COVID-19. To date, we owe nearly $90,000 in back rent.

 

The harsh truth is that we need more than $100,000, but at LEAST, if we can get this rent debt down, we will have a fighting chance to move forward. We can get our doors open and start making money our one true way: cooking and serving and facilitating a good time and a lasting memory.

 

We know that these are challenging times we are all facing. We know that this is a big gargantuan ask. We know that not everybody is in a position to help. But nonetheless, we are holding onto hope knowing that we must try. And please trust that we will spend a lifetime expressing our gratitude to you, our community, for giving us life again. We can't wait to welcome you back.

 

 

 

 

Every single dollar will help us so much. And in exchange for your generous donations of $250 and more, it would delight us to gift you with the following:

 

$250 & up: A limited edition Here's Looking At You sweatshirt or T-shirt while supplies last (limited sizing available).

 

$500 & up: A reservation on opening night. It will rain free shishito peppers! (First 30 donations.)

 

$1,000 & up: Priority access to a reservation (within reason!) for an entire year. (First 50 donations.)

 

$2,500 & up: An invitation to join us for a tasting of The $26 Almost-Original Mai Tai, featuring Revelation Rum, distilled from the same barrels as the now-extinct rum featured in the original 1944 Mai Tai. We opened the restaurant with this version of the Mai Tai by Allan Katz & Danielle Crouch. No longer in supply, this rum is gone forever ... except for the case that's hiding inside Lien's apartment! We will break it open and drink it! (First 50 donations.)

 

$5,000 & up: An opportunity to be featured "as a cocktail" on our menu. We will create a delicious cocktail inspired by you, and it will be featured on our cocktail menu for an entire season. (First 10 donations.)

 

$15,000 or highest donation by 12/15: Chef Jonathan will cook a private dinner at your home. (10-12 ppl max).

 

$30,000 or highest donation by 12/15: The opportunity to host a private party at HLAY on New Year's Eve (50 ppl max). Dinner and cocktails provided all night long.

 

Note: The amount of your donation entitles you to the gift associated with that level of donation AND the gifts available at each of the levels up to your amount, subject to availability.

 

How to redeem:

Please e-mail us your donation receipt (hello [at] hereslookingatyoula [dot] com), and we will be in touch to coordinate. Thank you so much!