Add The California Post on Google I work with a lot of restaurants and know even more restaurant owners. I told them if they survived COVID, they were going to be in great shape, since many others closed and they would be making lots of money.
I was dead wrong. They are closing in great numbers, thanks to bad governance by the city and the state. And one of the casualties is my favorite restaurant, Boneyard Bistro.
I had extensive discussions with Boneyard’s founder and proprietor, Aaron Robins. He just closed Boneyard after 21 years The restaurant was not only his livelihood, but also where he and his family spent their time and built a community. Many of his customers had become family, including the Bialoskys.
After enduring the COVID lockdowns, Boneyard was soon bushwhacked by the writers’ strike. Screenwriters, actors and other trades from Hollywood were the lifeblood of many restaurants.
Unlike with COVID, business never really bounced back post-strike as the “business of the city” — making movies and TV shows — has never bounced back. Film industry regulars are moving away, with the city doing little to fight to keep its major industry here.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta is attempting to make matters even worse by fighting Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros. The end result may be Paramount leaving the state for the more business-friendly environs of Nashville, Tennessee.
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Losing a customer base is not the only challenge Robins faced running his restaurant in LA. Politicians keep raising the minimum wage. That not only drives up wages, but also increases related payroll taxes and workers’ compensation insurance, which is based on wages paid. That just compounds the pain of workers’ comp insurance in California, which is already the fourth-highest in the nation.
Robins told me that what really drives wages is the fact there is no allowance for a lower wage rate for tipped employees in California. Washington, DC, and 43 states allow for reduced wages for tipped employees.
Combine high-wage costs with higher rent, higher insurance costs, and higher utility costs, and it becomes difficult to keep menu prices down.
At Boneyard, that meant regular customers who would come for Aaron’s wonderful food selections were no longer coming once a week, but every other week instead.
Robins told me that LA didn’t seem to care about the challenges it had created for him. The city also approved street vendors to compete with established restaurants, while raising annual permit fees for brick-and-mortar restaurants by 30%.
Faced with the need for significant improvements in his aging restaurant, Robins decided to call it quits.
What he was not prepared for was an outpouring of shock and community support with the announcement of the impending closure. People came in droves to get their last chance at Boneyard’s fabulous barbecue; the killer fried chicken Monday night; the Philly cheesesteak sandwich (better than any you can get in Philly); or the Aviator salad, Boneyard’s masterful take on a Caesar.
People were posting reels on Instagram of family outings, showing how their kids grew up going to Boneyard. Friends swamped the bar area, taking their last chance to share Robins’ huge selection of specialty beers, while watching either the Dodgers or the beginning of football season.
The Bialoskys were there on the very last night, Sept. 12. We worked our way around the menu with Baby Back ribs, Aaron’s outstanding pizza, his fabulous onion rings, a burger for the beautiful wife and the famous Aviator. We finished with our daughter’s favorite, the banana crème brûlée.
We spent time talking to the people who had taken care of us for so many years. Sam, the head chef; Brian and Becca, our favorite servers; and Octavio the everyman, who always made sure we had everything we needed.
Everyone was taking pictures with the staff and Aaron, the proprietor and master chef.
Aaron said he is looking to open a new place outside of the city of LA. He believes LA acts like businesses are the enemy. He is taking his immense culinary talents to someplace that will help him succeed.
LA’s elected officials don’t appear to understand how much a place like Boneyard Bistro enhances the life of a community. Boneyard was not just a place to have a fine meal; it was a place where families and friends gathered and shared good times.
Too many restaurants like this are closing in LA, driven out by an anti-business environment. We will miss our Friday night place. And it doesn’t seem anything will replace it — not in LA, and not now.
Bruce Bialosky, a former presidential appointee, is a certified public accountant specializing in taxes.
