Locali WeHo, the eatery known for it’s made-to-order sandwiches, salads, quinoa bowls and other healthy options, has become another COVID-19 casualty on Route 66. The “low calorie” restaurant located at 8730 Santa Monica Boulevard will no longer be serving the West Hollywood community according to employees and sources who wish to remain anonymous.
“That location is closed permanently,” said an employee at Locali Hollywood, located at 5825 Frankling Avenue. “We had to shut down that location because of COVID. We tried to stay open, but we didn’t get that many sales there. People can come to the Hollywood location. We’re busy here.”
Locali’s two remaining restaurants in Hollywood and Venice California.“There is no way we are opening again,” said a former employee from the WeHo location. “It was not a good location for us. The parking sucked and it was kind of hidden, but we offered good food.”
Locali WeHo was one of the few restaurants that remained open for curbside pickup and delivery during the first months of the Los Angeles County Stay at Home order during the pandemic. A source familiar with the owners tells WEHO TIMES that the business was already hurting prior to COVID. They allegedly fell behind on their rent and the landlord is currently looking for potential renters to take over the lease.
Their attempts to stay afloat included an updated menu a late night event called Sobar Lounge that launched this past Valentines Day. Specialty recovery gift and bookstore, My 12 Step Store joined Locali WeHo to host a mixture of late night shopping, music, food, desserts, coffee, and sophisticated “mocktails.” The goal was to offer the sober community a safe space to eat, drink and socialize without the need for alcohol or other mind altering substances on a Friday night.
The restaurant closed abruptly back in early May. Their Yelp page had a note stating that they would reopen again in January 2021. That message has been removed and the WeHo location is no longer found in Locali’s main website.
Locali WeHo opened on October 23, 2017. There are two Locali restaurants that remain open for curbside pick up and delivery. One is located in Hollywood and the other in Venice California.
