Glendale tapas bar, now a pop-up market, may be hindered by licensing laws

Bacari GDL, a wine and tapas bar in downtown Glendale, has been converted into a makeshift grocery store for the past week, offering fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, dry goods, wine by the bottle and even hard-to-find items, like milk and toilet paper.

On early Monday afternoon, a handful of customers perused the aisles at what the owners of the small restaurant chain have billed a pop-up market on Brand Boulevard, snagging cartons of oat milk, kale or whatever struck their fancy.

Customers like Alyce Barrick said it offered a respite from long lines at larger grocery stores.

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However, it’s unclear how much longer Bacari GDL will be able to operate the market without a grocery store license, as its owners await guidance from the L.A. County Department of Health, co-owner Danny Kronfli said.

On Friday, county health officials shuttered the chain’s first restaurant-turned-market in Playa Del Rey because it lacked a grocery store license. According to the restaurant’s owners, the health department is not currently accepting applications for the license.

During a press conference on Monday, Dr. Barabara Ferrer, director of the county health department, said restaurants could not seamlessly pivot to grocery stores without the proper license.

“It’s not really possible for a restaurant to become a grocery store,” Ferrer said. “You cannot just decide you want to sell groceries.”

Glendale officials “will determine what the county’s recent announcement means for any local establishments,” said Jennifer Hiramoto, the city’s deputy director of economic development, in a statement.

Glendale, which does not have its own health department, is under the purview of the county.

Kronfli said the business owners are scheduled to speak with health department officials on Tuesday to discuss the issue.

“We’ll alter our business practices depending on what they allow us to do,” Kronfli said on Monday. County health officials were not able to respond to a request for comment by press time.

Bacari shuttered its three locations on March 16 after restaurants were ordered by the county to stop allowing people to dine-in. About 45 staff members were let go.

“[As a small plates restaurant], our regular menu doesn’t deliver well. It wouldn’t have been worth it to stay open,” Kronfli said.

By March 18, Bacari reopened its Playa Del Rey location as a pop-up market, and immediately hired back four employees. The following Monday, the Glendale space was similarly converted and, three days ago, its Los Angeles location followed suit. About 25 employees in total have been hired back.

“We’re able to supply the community with necessary ingredients, and we also get to supply jobs for our employees,” Kronfli said.

Barrick, who has been going to Bacari GDL‘s market almost daily since it opened, said she hoped it would remain open.

“It’s serving those in the neighborhood who don’t drive, or [don’t] want to risk exposing themselves to grocery-store germs,” she said.

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