Engine Co. No. 28
New American restaurant · Downtown Los Angeles ·
American comfort classics with a Southern twist in a renovated firehouse.
American comfort classics with a Southern twist in a renovated firehouse.
"Owned by attorney Mark Geragos and located in Downtown Los Angeles, this restaurant/bar previously filed a lawsuit against county public-health officials arguing that authorities must present contact-tracing or causal data linking outdoor dining to COVID-19 cases before ordering closures. That legal stance—insisting on a formal causal link—contrasted with the county’s position (and court rulings) that such specific tracing is not required to enact emergency public-health measures; the owner has since taken on the legal defense of the Burbank establishment facing permit revocation." - Farley Elliott
"A Downtown Los Angeles restaurant owned by lawyer Geragos sued the county after on-site outdoor dining was shut during the winter COVID-19 surge, demanding either the return of outdoor service or specific causal data linking outdoor dining to rising cases. A Superior Court judge initially labeled the county’s action “arbitrary,” but a three-judge appeals panel has indicated it will side with public-health officials, reasoning that there is no statutory requirement to conduct the precise data analysis plaintiffs sought and that officials may act swiftly in an emergency based on precautionary judgments about public safety. The practical impact of the case is limited for now because outdoor dining has been reinstated, and experts note that robust contact-tracing data to prove a direct causal link is unlikely to exist." - Farley Elliott
"Owned by lawyer and plaintiff Mark Geragos, this Downtown LA restaurant mounted a high-profile legal challenge to Los Angeles County’s outdoor dining ban, arguing officials lacked direct causal data linking outdoor dining to COVID-19 case increases. A judge initially found that county officials “acted arbitrarily” in shutting down outdoor dining, but that ruling was overturned on appeal and the case remains pending with another court date scheduled next month. The restaurant’s lawsuit has become emblematic of wider industry pushback—many eateries and some municipalities have since defied the county order by converting tables into parklets or continuing patio service despite citations and criminal charges." - Farley Elliott
"Owned by attorney and restaurateur Mark Geragos, this Downtown Los Angeles eatery has become a focal point in legal challenges to California’s ban on outdoor dining. After a county judge criticized public-health officials for a perceived lack of data and issued an injunction that would have forced outdoor seating to reopen absent further evidence, the owner has taken the fight to federal court seeking to overturn the statewide prohibition. The case frames the restrictions as an overreach that deprives small business owners of fundamental rights, though courts traditionally grant wide emergency authority to officials, so any immediate resumption of outdoor service remains uncertain." - Farley Elliott
"Housed in a 1912 firehouse in Downtown Los Angeles, I found Engine Co. No. 28 serves classic American firehouse food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, offers a $5 perpetual happy hour, and even provides a shiny red shuttle to local shows and sporting events. The restaurant recently faced a legal setback after suing Travelers Indemnity Co. of Connecticut (and Mayor Eric Garcetti) in April to recoup losses from mandatory dining-room closures, arguing those revenue losses amounted to a physical loss; Judge André Birotte Jr. rejected the claim, saying the restaurant could “plausibly allege” a loss of use but the pandemic and lockdown orders did not physically alter the space and employees could still access the building, leaving the business structurally the same and the suit without much legal traction — a dismissal that represents another blow to restaurants hoping to recover pandemic losses through business-interruption insurance, even as similar, larger lawsuits continue around the country." - Farley Elliott