Those were tears you saw down my cheek on Tuesday night. Not because of the election results (well, not exclusively), but because my neighborhood hangout announced it is shutting its doors on Nov. 16.
For six years, fusion Asian eatery Watanabe Restaurant and Sushi Bar has been a literal cornerstone for Inglewood’s Riverside Village, offering an affordable alternative to more tried-and-true menus, not to mention a number of interesting cocktails (I’ll miss you, Ginger Josh!). Watanabe owner Matt Charette, who also owns three restaurants in Five Points, made the announcement on Facebook this week. Charette describes the last month as “agonizing” as he mulled over whether or not he ought to renew the restaurant’s lease.
While business was up — 17 percent year-to-date over 2013, he says — the pace of growth wasn’t as rapid as the growth of restaurant costs, from seafood to rent. To a certain extent, Charette says he’s always been in catch-up mode at Watanabe. From the beginning he faced challenges, first with water and sewer issues at the site, and then when namesake chef Hide Watanabe opted to return to his native Japan after the tsunami.
“I made a lot of mistakes, and while the business has grown, the growth has still been behind rising costs,” he says. To keep Watanabe vibrant Charette admits he may have neglected some of his other restaurants, which include Drifters BBQ, Batter'd & Fried and Beyond the Edge. While closing Watanabe is difficult, Charette says he looks forward to focusing more on those concepts again. “I want to take the lessons I’ve learned at Watanabe and apply them at the three other places.”
General managers at the other restaurants have been interviewing Watanabe staff for open positions and it is likely a few of the restaurant's signature sushi rolls may appear in a homage on the Batter'd & Fried menu in the near future.
Dan Heller, one of the owners of McGavock Pike Partners, which is the landlord for the Riverside Village location, says it is too soon to say who will sign a lease in the old Watanabe spot. But Heller is talking to a number of restaurants and says he wants to keep the tone and neighborhood feel of the area with the new tenant. Neither Heller nor business partner March Egerton were investors in Watanabe.
“We’re really bummed to see Matt go,” said Heller, adding that he spent a good chunk of his personal dining budget there.
