Historic Clifton’s Closes for Good in Downtown Los Angeles

Clifton’s Republic, the bar and nightclub that replaced the historic Clifton’s Cafeteria in downtown Los Angeles, is killing its neon lights for good.

Owner Andrew Meieran has permanently closed the 48,000-square-foot events center at 648 South Broadway because of vandalism, crime and declining foot traffic in the city’s historic core, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Someone else may take over the space or even the name of the historic spot. Meieran has sold the building for an undisclosed price, and the new owner is looking for a new tenant to occupy Clifton’s space. Meieran still controls the Clifton’s name.

During and after the pandemic, the district has grown more unsafe as office workers and visitors have left downtown. Owners of iconic skyscrapers are defaulting on loans, and buildings are trading for half the price they would have pre-pandemic.

“We’ve lost our way,” Meieran told the Times. “I want to get up on the tops of the skyscrapers and yell that people need to pay attention to this.”

What was once the largest cafeteria in the world dates back to 1931, when Clifford Cliften opened the Great Depression-era eatery that doled out up to 15,000 meals a day. Visitors poured in from the city’s then-entertainment hub to snap up traditional cafeteria grub from pot roast to mashed potatoes and Jell-O in a woodsy grotto under fake redwood trees and a stony waterfall.

Meieran bought Clifton’s in 2010 and poured more than $14 million into repairs, renovations and upgrades, adding additional bar and restaurant spaces in the four-story building, according to the Times.

In 2018, the demand for cafeteria food was too low to be profitable, he said, so he turned toward a nightclub and lounge he dubbed Clifton’s Republic, featuring multiple dining and drinking venues.

He then tried elaborate themed environments, such as a tiki bar and forest playgrounds, and rented out the location for big events to spark more interest.

Clifton’s opened and closed during the pandemic, when an exodus of office workers from downtown emptied its sidewalks of traffic. Nearly 40 percent of the offices in the Financial District were available at the end of last year, according to CBRE. Overall downtown vacancy has climbed to 34 percent, from 14 percent in 2019.

More recently, Clifton’s shut down again after a burst pipe caused extensive damage. Although Meieran opened it for special events such as Halloween, it otherwise has been closed.

He cited continuous crime, including multiple assaults on people in front of his building. He last shut the venue last year, hoping things would improve and he could come back with a business that could work.

Now he has given up, he told the Times.

The announced closure comes after Cole’s French Dip, another historic downtown venue, closed its doors last month.

– Dana Bartholomew