Long Beach : Construction Hurt Business, Restaurant Owners Say
Amis restaurant, one of several Pine Avenue eateries that has struggled through the rebirth of downtown Long Beach, has closed its doors, and the owners say area construction is largely to blame.
The restaurant, open less than a year and assisted by city redevelopment funds, is the second to fail at the 217 Pine Ave. site. Owners Stephen and Amy White, who also operate the award-winning Magdalena’s in Bellflower, said the restaurant’s proximity to a theater complex currently under construction cost them patio seating and parking and forced business down.
“The construction made things dirty and noisy and very difficult to run a restaurant,” Amy White said.
Other Pine Avenue restaurateurs say the construction has affected their business, but not dramatically. Many of them survived the messy Blue Line construction and have pressed the city to expedite the building of the theater complex, which is expected to improve business dramatically in the budding downtown area.
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