It’s official: PrimeGrill is closed. What is arguably the best and smartest kosher restaurant west of Manhattan is shuttered. The rest of the story is still unclear.
Officially it is due to rain damage which is now being repaired and the place will reopen again once it’s been fixed. If you call the restaurant, you get a message saying the place will be closed for 30 days for repairs. But waiters who have worked there report that it’s unlikely to open again in its present form. Of course when a business is adequately insured, a flood is not necessarily a bad thing…
Why did Prime Grill have to die? I feel like we failed Prime Grill. We crucified it on a crucible of our niggardliness. We crucified it anew every day in our unbelief. We said, ‘May its blood be upon us and upon our children.’
I never ate there. I could’ve made the difference.
Here are some more pragmatic reasons for its closing:
* Too expensive for everyday eating out
* Too far from the "frummies" neighborhoods
* They invested too much into the build out (some say $3m was spent)
* Mamash caters to much the same crowd and the location is far more convenient – and even they may not make it.
The Jewish Journal reports Jan. 18, 2008:
Prime Grill Still in Business
Prime Grill is not closing. The upscale Beverly Hills kosher restaurant is not becoming non-kosher, and it is not changing its menu.
Despite rumors around the Jewish community — people call the restaurant every day to find out if it’s still open — Prime Grill has no intentions of closing.
"There is absolutely no truth to this rumor," general manager Mikael Choukroun said.
According to Steven Traub, the director of operations in New York, the rumors were started by a disgruntled employee and a produce supplier with whom there was a payment dispute. But the dispute has been resolved — although the rumor still circulates. Prime Grill is located on Rodeo Drive, away from the main strip of kosher eateries on Pico Boulevard, and operated by the owners of Prime Grill in New York.
"There is a different mentality between New York and Los Angeles," Choukroun said. "People don’t like to be rushed. They like to eat leisurely. People are not willing to pay the same amount," he said.
Los Angeles, he said, is a family-oriented place, where people are not willing to spend $100 per person for a meal on a regular basis. To adjust to the L.A. customer, he said they are going to be adding lower-priced items to the menu, and they will have specials.
