Monday, December 9, 2019

Restaurant closures on El Camino Real

San Diego Reader:
What’s happing to restaurants on Encinitas’ El Camino Real? In the last two months, eight restaurants have closed in the ten blocks between Encinitas Boulevard and Leucadia Boulevard.

The latest being on November 25. The owners of the Greek American Family Restaurant, opened since the 1980s, reportedly wanted to retire.

Gone are franchised or corporately owned restaurants of Noodles and Company, Subway, and Firehouse Subs. Also out of business, vacant, and up for lease are the former locations of locally owned businesses Pie Craft, Swirls Frozen Yogurt, and 2 Good 2 Be Bakery. (The McDonalds in the Encinitas Ranch Town Center was closed three weeks ago due to fire. Its expected to be reopened.)
101 is also seeing businesses struggle. There, it seems the rents are being set by the very profitable bars, and other types of businesses can't afford it. Two restaurants have failed quickly at the old El Callejon site, and it remains vacant, as do the former Whole Foods and Ace Hardware sites.

40 comments:

  1. The closings have nothing to do with rising rents, or the terrible quality of food at places like Subway. Residents are scares to go out to eat. They know they might have a run in with Blanco Nightmare. That gang is ruining our town, or whatever still exists of it.

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  2. The closings have nothing to do with rising rents, or the terrible quality of food at places like Subway. Residents are terrified to go out to eat. They know they might never return if they get caught by sea level rise.

    Fixed it for ya!

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  3. There must be some reason why the owners of those sites keep them vacant. I am reminded of the empty Sushi restaurant in the Best Western facility above Encinitas Blvd at Cottonwood Park and the nearby former Denny's location. Probably there is some tax advantage here but I don't understand why those owners are blighting our city.

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  4. If I want to eat things out of a can, I go to Costco, bring it home and heat it on the stove "Gas of course".
    Ever seen the back area outside of a restaurant? No thank you.
    The prices are absurd, the food so so and I rather eat dinner with my dog as opposed to laughing baboons sitting at a table next to me.

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  5. Strip malls suck.

    Table with a view of the parking lot sir?

    That’s why El Camino Real restaurants die.

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  6. On another note maybe they should move the Catholic patron saint of Mexico, the Surfing Virgin De Guadeloupe, to Chula Vista/Imperial Beach as theit beaches were closed 200 times because of fecal matter flowinG out of TJ in our shared ocean. Save the Ocean, down in ghetto South County.
    https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/news/border-report-region-re-ups-pleas-for-federal-help-with-border-sewage/

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  7. The closing and opening of fast food casual businesses is ongoing. The closing of Noodles and Company was a company decision to shutter underperforming locations. Across the driveway was a Kentucky Fried Chicken now replaced by a Starbucks. According to a Aug. 22, 2016 article by Ken Harrison in the Reader about the KFC:

    "The now-vacant location may be one of those difficult — as in jinxed — locations. While KFC operated for a long time, it also used to be an Arby’s and a Long John Silvers. In the same parking lot, next door, is Chipotle, which used to be a Boston Market."

    Across from the Swirls Frozen Yogurt and 2 Good 2 Be Bakery is what used to be the Evans tire company. That business moved farther north on El Camino Real, and construction on the vacated building may house a new restaurant.

    The closing of Chili's in the Encinitas Town Center is another corporate decision as the ownership has changed hands.

    Be more worried about the larger retail businesses in Encinitas. The car dealerships may vacate which would be a loss of a large amount of sales tax. Most of the city's income is from million dollar houses that are built using density bonus.

    The Mayor/Council's main concern is narrowing and removing vehicle lanes for larger and wider bike lanes. More concrete and destruction of the environment is the Mayor/Council motto.

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    1. More bikes destroying the environment?

      You’re hilarious.

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    2. Believe 10:47 meant the concrete part, but take away from the post what you will, 8:43.

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    3. Evans Tires closing was a killer to that area. Tires off meant guaranteed foot traffic. Besides, naming a bakery "2 Good 2 Be" was just asking for it.

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  8. The Grilled Cheese take out joint in the Lofts center on 101 caved in within 2 months. Eating out is too expensive.

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  9. There is a breaking point to all business when it comes to rent or lease. As monthly or yearly rents and leases rise, these greedy property owners are going to be left with fewer and fewer tenets.
    I'd rather break even than to lose a good paying tenet.
    I see more and more vacant properties/store fronts. Be very careful landlords and do not let your zeal of money overcome what little sense you have.

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    Replies
    1. You'd rather break even? Worst business advice ever courtesy of 11:06 AM.

      tenet - a principle or belief, especially one of the main principles of a religion or philosophy.

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    2. Dang it, thanks for pointing out my spelling. And yes, I would rather break even than have a space empty and getting "no rent" like so many empty spaces on El Camino Real strip malls.
      But hey, that's me. Don't make me right.

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  10. Olivenhain would like your help fighting the high density housing proposal on Encinitas Blvd. so it can be moved to your neighborhood and Olivenhain will have zero impacts.

    Their horses thank you for your consideration.

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    1. Never fear 1:25, it's coming to the other 16 sites around the city. maybe you'll be lucky and get to enjoy one on your block! fingers crossed!!

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    2. Already got sites near me, thanks. Don’t need more. Olivenhain needs to come up with an alternate site in Olivenhain if they want my support.

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    3. It's worse for everyone than you think. When all of these ghetto dwellings are built, section 8 will move in. When that happens the regular renters will move as who wants live next to grifters? Then the owners will end up letting in more section 8. You just wait and see.
      Forced multiculturalism. Like forced busing.

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    4. 6:42 How many times do you have to be told there's no new Section 8 funding? The waiting list everywhere in the county is about 10 years.

      Prejudice is most often based in ignorance. Before you post, find out a lot about the topic. Otherwise, you're just spreading your ignorance.

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    5. 8:56

      Section 8 grifters can't move from one place to another place?

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    6. EVERYONE refers to Section 8 as any poor sap who relies on the govt for housing. Head for Calexico if you cannot afford the beach, 99% of the US can't afford it and they are fine elsewhere. If you build it, the insane will come and someone will inevitably be stabbed.

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  11. oh but 6:00, they're coming and there's nothing you can do to stop them now. voted for measure U? look in the mirror, you asked for it. council "representative" voted for measure U? blame them, they asked for it.

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    1. Still no excuse for Olivenhain seeking to dump more in my neighborhood.

      Olivenhain needs to share the burden. Leucadia and Old Encinitas already have 4 times more high density units per capita upzoned than Olivenhain. And yet they want people along the coast to help them push those units out of Olivenhain and into our overburdened neighborhoods.

      That's just bullshit.

      If Olivenhain wants to fight to move those units to a different location IN OLIVENHAIN, then fine, we'll support them. Anything else is helping them move their units into our neighborhoods, which is a nonstarter.

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    2. I don't think the folks in Olivenhain would make a big stink if it was single story, maybe two story.
      But, 69 feet tall and 277 units, I be angry as hell to. And the land is on a hill, making things even worse as there are only one and two story homes bordering this proposed mess. Plus going from Rural Residential to the upzoned in sanity? I'd file as many lawsuits against the city and owner of the property as I could if I lived next to this. And yes, I feel for every neighborhood that has been ruin by these bad habit for humanity types. They will be voted out of office and we will be stuck with their inept moronic decisions.

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    3. Those parcels accounted for 173 units in Measure U.

      Since Olivenhain was under allocated, I suggest letting the builder go forward with 277 units, and get rid of parcels in over allocated neighborhoods equaling the 104 extra units.

      This wouldn’t bring Olivenhain anywhere close to their fair share relative to the coast, but it’s a step in the right direction.

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    4. we all have to drive that corner. even you good folks in Leucadia...so "letting the builder go forward" so you can stick it to olivenhain is stoopid. It's also what your council members forced on the city, so good luck fighting this and the rest of the projects coming.

      anyone pull the next group of projects marco said are in the pipeline?? you might get lucky, 2:14. you might be next.

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    5. Asking Olivenhain to stop being selfish and join the rest of their city in bearing a fair share of the housing burden isn’t “sticking it to Olivenhain.”

      How much privilege and victim mentality does it take for someone to think that equitable burden sharing equates to people “sticking it” to them?

      Stop being so selfish, and seek ways to share a reasonable share of the housing burden.

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    6. All this finger pointing and not one of you think to place the blame where is belongs. The America hating leftist ruining California. This, is their idea, they have filed court complaints against Encinitas. Everything the left does fails. And here we have another example. Your neighborhoods being ruined. Place the blame where is belongs.

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  12. I saw Blano Nightmare graffiti in Olivenhain today. Sad to see what our once beautiful city has become.

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    Replies
    1. The divide and conquer strategy seems to be working well.

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    2. More victimhood.

      A call for every neighborhood to come together and share in the burden of housing twisted into divisive message by a mind that thinks ALL of the burden belongs in my neighborhood.

      Who is really being divisive?

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    3. I'm glad to see the residents speak against the Mayor and other lambs trying to sell out Encinitas to those who make a healthy sum of money in the homeless industry.

      Let show our City Council, whose shown they are welcoming all homeless and all the world's poor, criminally insane, and Meth heads to Encinitas, we the people do not agree with this mission.

      Lets show them its not what "we the people" want and lets replace every one of them next election!!!

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    4. You got kicked off Nextdoor for this garbage. Go peddle filth somewhere else.

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  13. Why did ace hardware, whole foods, el Callejon and successors close? PARKING No one wants to be inconvenienced by no parking at establishments.

    Which leads to why the city is giving your tax money to the American Legion to help add to the problem. The Legion is licensed to be a private club but it is open to anyone that wants to walk in the door. They have two parking spaces. With all the drunks coming and going that is certainly not adequate.

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    1. Ace Hardware has their rent raised because downtown businesses have been so successful the real estate is in demand. There was plenty of parking at the Lumberyard.

      El Callejon was forced out when the owner of the building died and his kids took over. They were operating at the location without a lease, and had several issues with the cops for serving underage patrons. The new owners thought it was a legal risk for them to continue the relationship. There was plenty of public parking at the train station and a back entrance to the restaurant facing the station.

      Whole Foods was in financial trouble and running out of cash. They were forced to close locations and shrink the business. Soon after the Encinitas location closed, Amazon snapped them up and infused much needed cash to turn the business around. Had that happened earlier, the Encinitas store likely would have survived. Granted, the underground parking was cramped with tiny spaces and structural posts to navigate.

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    2. Encinitas Whole Foods closed 2/22/17.

      Amazon bought WF 8/28/17.

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  14. 8:49 AM An accurate accounting of the facts. But the parking at the Lumberyard was packed during the Summer and vacation periods. People would park there to jog or ride their bikes; I would try to get to Ace hardware, but it was inaccessible. Ace finally put up "Customer Only" signs in front, which helped a bit. I was sorry to see them go, as Home Depot is a zoo.

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