Andrew Meieran is about to reopen the doors of one of L.A.’s legendary restaurants in a bid to once again make it an offbeat dining and entertainment destination. Meieran is the proprietor of Clifton’s Republic, the kitschy, forest-themed restaurant on Broadway in downtown’s Historic Core that for nearly a century served up comfort food such as pot roast, mashed potatoes, and Jell-O. The five-story restaurant and bar complex has been closed for the last year after a burst water pipe caused a flood that destroyed the kitchen and collapsed the ceilings on three floors.
A Blend of Tradition and Innovation
Clifton’s is scheduled to reopen next month after extensive repairs and renovations. Among the changes patrons will find is a basement venue several years in the making that Meieran said is “dedicated to innovation and the magic of experiences” with “entertainment, cocktails, and culinary offerings.” Meieran is keeping details under wraps for now, but he has demonstrated a knack for creating provocative entertainment and dining venues through obsessive attention to offbeat details, as well as a willingness to spend more money than most real estate developers to realize his vision and preserve the historic integrity of his projects.
A Bay Area transplant with a background in real estate development and filmmaking, Meieran emerged on the L.A. scene in 2007 when he opened the Edison, a subterranean nightclub he created in a former power plant deep under a century-old building on 2nd Street. In 2010 he took over Clifton’s from the family that had operated it since the 1930s when founder Clifford Clinton purchased the lease of the former Boos Bros. cafeteria on Broadway and set out to create a space that would evoke the coastal redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, where Clinton spent summers growing up. After taking over, Meieran closed the restaurant for nearly four years for renovations and upgrades and again during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Challenges and Prospects for Downtown Businesses
Since the pandemic began, the restaurant business has been battered and put through changes that have made it hard for owners to operate profitably. How do you intend to make a go of it? According to Meieran, people need to disengage from their devices and balance their lives with physical and social interaction with people who are there and present around them. Clifton’s will cater to people looking for a more interactive lifestyle, craving physical experiences to balance the ubiquitous online presence.
Clifton’s exists in L.A.’s collective memory as a vast cafeteria in a whimsical woodland setting, but cafeterias are no longer the dominant form of food delivery and service. For Clifton’s to work, it needs tons of people in a captive audience, volume, and stable, reasonable food prices—conditions that are currently absent. The reopened Clifton’s will operate as a restaurant, lounge, and nightlife destination, including the historic Brookdale dining hall, the Monarch Bar, and the Pacific Seas adventure bar. The basement venue will open in midsummer.
Downtown L.A. has changed significantly from Clifton’s heyday in the 20th century. Occupancy in office buildings has dwindled substantially since the COVID-19 lockdown, impacting lunchtime customer sources. The pandemic and technological shifts have altered the dining experience with app-based ordering, touchscreens, and artificial intelligence. This makes it challenging for businesses to respond and for investors to predict future trends. Downtown’s dense environment means it is slower to respond to changes, requiring more effort and concerted focus to shift its direction.
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