New restaurant owners get shut out of PPP loans despite their financial losses Tim Carman Every month, Andrew Darneille says his Smokecraft Modern Barbecue in Arlington, Va., has been losing between $15,000 and $20,000, and the numbers would be uglier if not for breaks from his bank and landlord. December was the worst yet: The owner and pitmaster says he suffered $30,000 in losses, even with a skeleton crew and a separate ghost kitchen selling fried chicken sandwiches. With no bank loans available to bridge the gap, Darneille and his family have been covering the monthly shortfall. He doesn’t have much choice: It’s either cover the expenses or watch his dream project go down in flames, after investing three years and nearly $2 million in the full-service restaurant, which showcases a refined version of the barbecue that has earned Darneille dozens of awards on the competitive circuit. José Andrés talks about feeding the National Guard, tipping and whet
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A takeout window seems an apt location to begin thinking through some of the Los Angeles restaurants that managed not only to open in 2020, but also to enrich the city’s culture with creative achievement and personal narrative. This carryout setup operates from the quiet interior courtyard of Chinatown’s Mandarin Plaza, its mustard-colored façade embellished with a lone ribbon of red neon. Out of its sliding-glass panes appear outlandish sandwiches devised by one of the city’s defining chefs.
Wes Avila, the creator of Guerrilla Tacos, opened
Angry Egret Dinette in late October. One of his early imaginings was the Mookie Melt, a bucking bull on a bolillo roll that charged wildly and deliciously in all directions.