Woon - Pasadena

Five Months After the Eaton Fire, Altadena Restaurants Are Finally Reopening | Eater LA

"Keegan Fong opened a second location on East Washington Boulevard in Pasadena just days before the Eaton Fire; the shop temporarily shut down and then reopened on January 18 after utility companies gave the green light. Fong is blunt about the changed business reality: "We can’t rely on the word of mouth we were expecting because so much of Altadena is gone," and reports business consistently down at least 20 percent, prompting heavier reliance on delivery platforms and catering. He reflects on the bittersweet pivot: "I want to host all the locals through this door that I wanted here in the first place, and now I have to accept that we’ll have delivery drivers through the door instead," and adds, "At the same time, we were dealt this hand, so let’s do our best to figure out how to work within it." - Sharon Brenner