When I decided to relaunch this blog series, I got very curious to see how many of the original 52 places I reviewed were still even open.  While not as bad as it could have been, my findings were still pretty grim, at least to me.  So, let’s pour one out for the ones we lost, for better or worse….

IN MEMORIUM:

Bistro 760

Searsucker (Fear not, gentle reader, Brian Malarkey has opened many more restaurants)

Empire House (If this was the Oscars, the sausage bread from this place would undoubtedly win the audience dead-applause-o-meter)

BiCE Ristorante

Cafe Japanego

Carnitas Snack Shack (Just the North Park location, there are others)

Heat (NOT. MY. FAULT.)

Southpaw Social Club

Pure Burger

Alchemy

Saigon on Fifth (The absolutely CAVERNOUS space it occupied remains empty to this day in Hillcrest until some plucky new upstart can meet the 7 million dollar-a-month rent.  I made that last part up.  It’s probably much higher.)

Fat Sal’s

Bruxie

The Patio

Little Tokyo

Waypoint Public

Saltbox

Bijou

Tam’s

Zensei Sushi

Bonus reviews:

Burger Miester (San Francisco)

Farmer Brown (San Francisco)

Neptune’s Waterfront (San Francisco)

Out of the 52 places I covered, only 32 remain open at press time (I feel like the Clark Kent-yest MF on Earth just writing the words “press time”.  Am I a journalist?!?!).  That’s a good sign no matter which way you slice it but in the restaurant business, it’s damn near a miracle.  According to Bin Wise, about 60% of restaurants fail in their first year of operation.  80% fail within 5 years of opening.  That’s crazy to me.  When you consider the original BW8SD list is now a decade old, bravo to those that held on. And of course I get that the list was a VERY wide net.  It encompassed everything from celebrity chef vanity projects to unknown holes in the wall with bomb ass food and that was very much by design.  While the fate of Tam’s always hung in the balance, I doubt anyone at Addison was saying “Well guys, time to tighten the belt.  We need to switch to dollar store brand for the men’s room mouthwash carafes”.  If you aren’t a celebrity chef, other reports claim that restaurant owners can operate their business for between 10-20 years before raking in a substantial profit.  To say nothing of the mental health and stress challenges that come with restaurant ownership.  This is why “The Bear” was so stressful to watch!

Plus there’s the added complexity of operating a restaurant in the age of COVID.  The bounce back from the initial shutdown has been a wild ride.  According to a rep from the National Restaurant Association, even though restaurants made record sales in 2023, the industry is still extremely fragmented.  While takeout, delivery, drive-through and curbside sales have increased since 2020, on-site dining traffic has remained down.   Many factors can contribute to a restaurant shuttering prematurely but according to Google, the number one lifespan killer of a restaurant is location.  I think I’m just a weirdo because that never really bothers me.  I’ve driven hours just to go to a place I like but, now that I think about it, those places aren’t ones I can get to regularly enough to keep their lights on. 

It was during the initial shut down that I realized how much of a difference supporting the local restaurants you love can make.   The ugly vibes of fear, misinformation and racism made Chinese restaurants an early target.  We made it a mission in our house to make take out from our favorite Chinese spot a standing weekly appointment.  This place shall remain nameless as they recently changed ownership and I have not yet been back to see if the food is still good at press time (THERE I GO AGAIN).  As time went on and restrictions eventually lifted in San Diego, I never took my favorite places for granted again.  It’s important to support the places you love in your communities.  I went from a “good” tipper to a “great” tipper.  I want everyone at every job level in this business to do well.  I want everyone to win.  Yes, even the places I give less than stellar reviews to.  That can mean spending more money but, for me, the experience is worth it.  Y’know, usually.  They can’t all be Addison.  Because if they were, I’d need a sugar Daddy and at my age the sugar daddies are all sugar corpses.  Related: Great podcast and YouTube Ad sponsorships available!  Help a brotha out cuz some of y’all got expensive taste.

In the meantime, hopefully this here blog can be a resource for you to find some great new places to support in San Diego (and elsewhere).  LET’S EAT!!!!