The Truth Behind Why Restaurants Are Shutting Down and How To Save Them

Summary

Podcast Summary: "The Fame Game with Heidi & Spencer"

Episode: The Truth Behind Why Restaurants Are Shutting Down and How To Save Them

Date: March 19, 2026
Hosts: Spencer Pratt, Heidi Montag (with guest Seth of @sethontheseen)
Podcast Network: Studio71

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the mounting issues behind the widespread closures of restaurants, especially in Los Angeles. Heidi and Spencer are joined by Seth of @sethontheseen, an Instagram account documenting LA’s ever-changing food scene and the closures plaguing local businesses. The hosts and their guest dissect personal stories, systemic challenges, and possible solutions, delivering their classic blend of candid, funny, and heartfelt commentary. The discussion not only unpacks the economic, political, and cultural factors contributing to restaurant failures but also considers the broader impacts on community life, nostalgia, and the fabric of LA.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Seth's Account and Mission (01:39–02:53)

• Seth shares his journey from nostalgically following the closure of a beloved West Hollywood restaurant to becoming a go-to source for news on LA’s restaurant scene.

  • Quote:

    "I just sort of became this investigative journalist to stalk them professionally... and then that just snowballed into really what I've created now."
    — Seth (01:48)

• Seth's account started as restaurant reopening updates but evolved to tracking why so many LA spots close — from personal tips to community heartbreak.

2. The Emotional & Community Impact of Closures (03:14–04:00)

• Restaurants are not just businesses; they’re places of nostalgia, first dates, family visits, and community.

  • Quote:

    "Restaurants have a lot of emotions tied to them... there's that connection that's lost when these restaurants close."
    — Seth (03:14)

• Spencer and Heidi reflect on their own memories and explain why specific restaurants mean so much to local culture.

3. The Core Reasons Behind Restaurant Closures (04:00–05:40)

• Rent Spikes:

  • Landlords doubling/tripling rents at lease renewal; many prefer empty spaces to rent reductions.
  • Quote:

    "You're losing these, again, communities and places that have memories to you just because of these greedy landlords."
    — Seth (04:00)

• Labor Costs:

  • Minimum wage increases and higher pay needed to attract management.

• General Inflation:

  • Increased food and operational costs with slim margins.
  • Seth frames it as a “three-pronged approach,” with all factors combining to make survival nearly impossible.

4. Changing Economics & Access for Small Businesses (06:22–09:36)

• Spencer and Jordan bemoan the shift: fewer small business owners, more “restaurant as a hobby” billionaires.

• It's now so expensive that only the ultra-wealthy can afford to open, causing cultural loss and stagnation in local scenes.

  • Quote:

    "You almost have to be a multi-millionaire or billionaire... There's just no depth to it. There's no culture that they're building."
    — Seth (08:36)

• Broader questions about LA and America: Is the economy still accessible to regular people, or just big players?

5. LA vs. Other Cities: Is This Trend Unique? (10:17–10:49; 17:53–18:01)

• Seth confirms the crisis is most acute in LA, though he tracks travel and restaurant scenes abroad as well.
• Reference to issues in other cities but not to the same extreme as LA.

6. The Ripple Effects: Employment, Opportunity, Hollywood (11:59–13:09; 15:21–15:58)

• Restaurant closures mean widespread job loss — not just cooks and servers, but also an end of a “rite of passage” for aspiring actors and creatives.
  • Quote:

    "If you were like a gorgeous girl from Texas... as a server, you could survive. [But now] there's not even Hollywood enough to be a bit part actor."
    — Heidi (12:43)

  • The Hollywood strikes and film productions moving out have compounded the problem, drying up the entertainment industry’s supplementary ecosystem.

7. The Role of City Policy & Problematic Code Enforcement (18:40–22:56; 27:08–29:37)

• Safety concerns and visible homelessness deter diners, especially when patios are affected.

• The regulatory burden is not evenly shared:

  • Brick-and-mortar spots face inspections, taxes, health standards, while street vendors and food trucks are less regulated but increasingly popular.
  • Quote:

    "It just seems like across the city, there's different rules for different people."
    — Seth (22:54)

• Arbitrary/overzealous complaints can push city departments to shut down businesses (Beito’s Market story at 27:22), and there's resentment that one or two "haters" can destroy a neighborhood establishment.

8. Real Estate Economics: Vacant Spaces & Write-Offs (25:53–26:40)

• Landlords often keep spaces empty rather than lowering rent, possibly for tax write-offs, contributing to an emptying of once-busy streets like the Promenade.
  • Quote:

    "It's just so crazy that they rather have it sitting empty than give someone the opportunity to be there and make some money."
    — Jordan (25:53)

  • Rising exclusivity of the past is gone; Instagram and TikTok have changed access, trends, and hype.

9. Government Failures & Policy Ideals (18:40–20:41; 33:06–36:51)

• The city sometimes worsens hardships: draconian enforcement over noise, liquor licenses pulled over minor complaints, parking restrictions hurting businesses.
• Parking, infrastructure, and gentrification (e.g., billboards replacing parking) erode accessibility and kill foot traffic for nearby small businesses.

10. Looking Forward: Solutions and Community Mobilization (19:19–20:09; 42:20–43:27)

• Listen to Owners: Seth urges local government to actually speak to small business owners new and old to identify root problems and iterate policy solutions.

• Regulatory Fairness: Create consistent standards for all types of food businesses.

• Community Alerts: Transparency about restaurants struggling to prompt a community rally and increased patronage.

  • Quote:

    "They put on social media that they were on a shoestring. They were about to close… They have lines, online orders... that's what makes it rewarding for me, is that I can help change these restaurants' trajectory with a simple video."
    — Seth (42:20)

• Preserving Local Culture: Awareness and communal action can help save the remnants of a richer LA past.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Nostalgia and Loss:

  "They're not just restaurants...the food is just a place where the memories happen."
  — Heidi Montag (08:04)

• On Hollywood Lore:

  "It was such an incredible opportunity to be a waiter or waitress here because you were discovered. Like that's where directors would come in and eat and be like, you need to be in my next movie."
  — Jordan (15:21)

• On the Disparity of Enforcement:

  "If you're a crazed homeless person going to the bathroom on the side of the street and you don't get in trouble, but Seth goes... he becomes now a sex offender..."
  — Heidi Montag, humorously illustrating two-tier systems (22:00)

• On the Erosion of Local Opportunity:

  "It was. The city had this magic about it, which it still does, but it's dim. I would say it's not as bright as it used to be."
  — Seth (25:19)

• On Leaving LA:

  "I've talked to a couple of restaurant owners and chefs that are moving out of state because there’s just so many less regulations."
  — Seth (35:21)

• Heartwarming Connection:
  Seth and Jordan share they met at a pool party bonding over a Heidi track, sparking a long friendship (38:30–39:00).

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Key Timestamps & Segments

• 01:39–02:53: Seth’s introduction and background of @sethontheseen
• 03:14–04:00: Emotional and communal impact of restaurant closures
• 04:00–05:40: Core economic reasons for closures: rent, labor, inflation
• 11:34–12:43: Devastating job losses from closures; shrinking ladder for newcomers in LA
• 18:40–22:56: Safety, homelessness, uneven code enforcement, and policy frustrations
• 27:22–29:37: Stories of overzealous complaints shutting down local businesses (Beito’s Market)
• 33:06–36:51: How city policy, parking, and development worsen small business struggles
• 42:20–43:27: Community mobilization can actually save at-risk restaurants (Ronin on 3rd story)
• 38:30–39:00: A personal, joyful story — friendship via a Heidi song

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Closing Thoughts & Calls to Action

Seth encourages optimism and communal engagement, emphasizing LA’s potential to recover its “magic” if policies become fairer and communities rally behind local businesses. The group ends with a plea to follow @sethontheseen, support local restaurants, and spread awareness to help preserve what makes LA special.

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Where to Follow the Guest

• Instagram & TikTok: @sethontheseen
• Newsletter (beta): Find latest LA restaurant news and closures via link in bio

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For listeners who miss the “old LA” or anyone invested in the fate of small businesses, this episode merges nostalgia, policy critique, and actionable hope — all in the signature candid, lively, and occasionally irreverent tone of Speidi.

Transcript

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[Seth]

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[Heidi Montag]

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[Seth]

Please tell me you didn't get plastic

[Heidi Montag]

surgery to pull out the out.

[Jordan]

Oh no, that's all God's time.

[Heidi Montag]

We're back. The star of the show herself, the global pop superstar is here. Heidi Montag. So great to have you back on the fame game. And we have an incredible guest who again, how we get guests is how many people send me IG videos. And I have gotten so many people sending me your content. And breaking news. This is the first time Seth has ever brought his celebrity self to a podcast. So thank you.

[Seth]

What a great one to be.

[Heidi Montag]

Oh my gosh, the most famous set in podcasting. So Seth, tell everyone your account, how you got into it and we'll dig in from there.

[Seth]

Sure. Kind of happened by accident. There was a restaurant called Merrick's in West Hollywood that closed, closed down because of COVID And we were all there, my friends included, right before the lockdowns, like, oh, it's going to be two weeks. We're all going to be back here celebrating, having margaritas like we normally do. Then fast forward five, six years, they're still not reopened and we were just begging. This restaurant needs to reopen because it was that sense of community that was lost during the lockdowns. And I would have tips sent to me because I saw sort of just started stalking them. On my IG stories. I would say, oh look, there's a chair that's been moved. Or I think they're painting or something's going on. So I just sort of became this investigative journalist to stalk them professionally. And sure enough, they ended up reopening. I got invited to Go in for the grand reopening and did some content for them just to celebrate, more or less. And then that just snowballed into really what I've created now. It's been pretty wild riding for our listeners.

[Heidi Montag]

What my knowledge of what your content is, you can obviously tell me if I'm off, that you are showing all the restaurants that the issues, whether they're not being able to reopen, why they're closing, how the city is affecting these business from being able to stay open. What am I missing?

[Seth]

Yeah, you know, and that's what it evolved into, is that someone would share, oh, my gosh, this restaurant closed down. And as you know, restaurants have a lot of emotions tied to them. Maybe you had your first date there, or maybe your mom visited LA for the first time and you took her to that restaurant. Whatever reason it might be, there's that connection that's lost when these restaurants close. So I started receiving tips about that and I would go and see, you know, what's going on, what's actually affecting these restaurants. And what I've learned has been heartbreaking. Interesting as well. But there's several different layers I think we can dive into that of, you know, what I'm seeing and hearing from these restaurant owners, it's making it difficult.

[Jordan]

What are the biggest problems?

[Seth]

I think number one, I hear is rent. So it's somebody that's had a restaurant lease, let's say 10 years or so is a typical lease. It comes up for renewal, the landlord may double, even triple the lease. So right off the bat, what can we do? Well, we could raise prices where no one's going to come. I guess that's an option. Or we try to negotiate this lease. But these landlords are just very stubborn and not willing to adjust whatever they want. And I believe a lot of these landlords have been there for decades and decades. So they probably paid pennies to acquire this property. So they don't care if it sits empty. They've already made a ton of money. They can ride it out until somebody's going to come in and take over that spot. So it's. You're losing these again. Communities and places that have memories to you just because of these greedy landlords. So I see that as a number one issue. I would say the second is the minimum wage increases. So I've had several restaurant operators tell me that in order to even get management in, you have to pay them very, very heavily because otherwise they'll be a server, they can make a lot more money work. Maybe Three, four shifts a week and make a lot more than what a traditional manager would make. So obviously these restaurants need that, so they have to increase that. And it's just like this battle back and forth where than where their margin is going to be, you know. And I would say that there's general inflation, you know, the cost of everything has gone up. So it's this three pronged approach that's just making it almost nearly impossible when all three are hit at the same time for these restaurants to survive.

[Jordan]

It's so hard because it seems like there's no solution. That's the tricky part. My parents lost their restaurant. They had for almost 20 years. And the same thing happened in our small town because the landlords all of a sudden raised the rent, demanded all the rent. You know, in resort towns sometimes people like catch up on rent in the summer or whenever there's like tourist seasons and. And that happened all over. So now only rich people can own restaurants, have restaurants, the buildings and it's like, well that's not what we want and what the people need. And it shouldn't be this like elite ownership, it should be small businesses and that we should be encouraging these small businesses that are being lost and they the world.

[Heidi Montag]

Yeah. One of my favorite restaurants in the Palisades that have been here probably for 20 years before the fires, they had to close down because the, the new owners of the building before the building was owned by this OG legend that I swear he lived till he's like 97 and let them have this whatever the rent was. And then this new big real estate company bought the building and said if you want to stay here, we want a cut of your restaurant Mafio style. Like, like. And so they're like, we can't, we're already just surviving. We can't cut up, pay rent and give you a piece of the restaurant. So you know, there's all sorts of these factors. But it's interesting until you mention how it affects so many people losing these restaurants. I always thought it was just a Heidi and I think because we were such a like foodies but we talk about certain meals or specific drinks of places that you still miss that we miss years later. That, you know, that's why I go to Don Antonio's as much as I can. Because the idea, for instance, to not have Don Antonio's which during COVID was almost a thing and that's why we were doing so much to go food from there and trying to keep it going. Our first date that burned down Our first breakfast quesadilla at Cafe Vita. And every time I drive by that, I'm like, oh, my God, the amount of meals Heidi and I had there. And, you know, last night we went to a Chinese restaurant that we went to for years together, and it brought back so many memories. So they're not just restaurants.

[Seth]

Right.

[Heidi Montag]

And that's why I think your account is so powerful, because it connects to these communities, that the food is just a place where the memories happen. And it's interesting that I wonder how much the city has increased the property taxes on these buildings. And if that is a factor, that the property taxes on these. You know, I wonder how much it's greed versus oh, well, we have to pay this much now for your restaurant. I wonder.

[Seth]

Yeah, I'm curious too. And. And you do hear those stories where it's a wonderful landlord. I feel like it's few and far between, but they have that connection, probably to that restaurant. They want to see it survive. And to your point, Heidi, it's a small business. It's. Now, I feel like you almost have to be a multi millionaire or even a billionaire that's wanting to open a restaurant for fun. You know, you're gonna have the capital. You don't care, honestly, if it's really successful. Successful, it's almost a toy. So, yeah, what I was saying is billionaires really have the opportunity to create their own toys, if you will. And, oh, I've always had a hobby or a passion to want to open a restaurant. Let's see how it does. And they don't really care if it's successful or not. They lose a few million. So what? They move on. There's just no. There's no depth to it. There's no culture that they're building. And sadly, if something doesn't change, I feel that's where it's progressing. Otherwise, how do you have the capital and the means to stay open with all those factors that I mentioned earlier? Impossible.

[Jordan]

Yeah. I think it's really touching on a bigger problem that's happening in the world that Spencer and I always talk about. It's like, how are you supposed to buy a house now? How are you supposed to be a small business owner? How are you supposed to be these things that this country was built on with opportunity and, like, that needs to be accessible? And all these billionaires have made the economy like a different economy. There should be two separate economies. Like, that's not feasible for anyone else. There was never that absorbent amount of money that was in the Regular economy, like kings and queens. That money was kind of hidden and not like, you know, it's very different. So it's just a huge problem. Do you notice this in other cities or do you just basically do la?

[Heidi Montag]

Question, is this an LA based account?

[Seth]

Yeah. So I do have an account that's worldly, but it's a bit more focused on travel hacks. And recently I went to Brazil, so I want to showcase people how to go to Brazil. There's a lot of questions, like, Brazil's the hot zone right now to go if you haven't been highly recommend.

[Jordan]

I've not been amazing. Is it dangerous, though?

[Heidi Montag]

Safer than la?

[Seth]

People ask me that and I'm like, well, yeah, you have to watch out for your phones. But here you do too. If you go to a club, I mean, you see the signs everywhere, pickpockets, watch out.

[Heidi Montag]

You know the clubs in LA now they say to watch your phone.

[Seth]

Oh, absolutely, absolutely.

[Heidi Montag]

Oh, wow. There's signs in la clubs say watch your phones.

[Seth]

Oh, yeah. These restaurants and, you know, nightclubs definitely know what's happening. And some of them do even have security. But it's like, how much are they actually enforcing this or do they care even? And it seems like there's these rings that come out and they, you know, target individuals after. It's like 1:32am, everybody's not.

[Heidi Montag]

Heidi's phone will get grabbed, so.

[Jordan]

Oh, my gosh.

[Heidi Montag]

A drink. Oh, that's great. And then how many restaurants. Have you done the math? Like, how since you started, how many restaurants have gone under?

[Seth]

Yeah. So I was like, looking back through my account and I don't cover all of them, of course. It's. It's sad to say this, but there's too many to cover. I would be busy every single hour, it seems like. But I looked and There were over 100 restaurants in La that closed last year. Wow.

[Heidi Montag]

That are on your account.

[Seth]

I'm not on mine personally, but I have been able to collect the data to find out There are over 100 closures.

[Jordan]

That's devastating.

[Heidi Montag]

And that's also. You factor in all those people that were cooks, the bus, the servers, the. That just that ecosystem of employment to connect to this. My friend who I talked to the other day, he said I was like, oh, how are you? He said, I just broke up with my girlfriend. I go, that's sad. And he's like, yeah, she couldn't afford to live here anymore. I'm like, what? And he's like, yeah, Pratt, Daddy. When we grew up, if you were like a gorgeous girl from Texas. You could make enough money as a server or a bottle, you know, certain things in the nightlife to survive. He said she couldn't. He said, I watched. I tried to help her, but says it's minimum, minimum $8,000 a month to just.

[Jordan]

That's crazy.

[Heidi Montag]

Yeah, to just have an apartment, car insurance, a gym membership. I think he said 100 a day for three meals. But my point is that's what was the red flag. Because growing up in la, you're like the good looking guy or girl. You were going to be able to have jobs where you could go on auditions, but now there's not even Hollywood enough to be a bit part actor.

[Seth]

And well, that's another thing I'm glad you brought up is with in Hollywood in particular with the strikes and then none of these jobs are coming back. I have a couple friends who are writers and they were doing great and then the strikes happened and these jobs just were outsourced to other cities that had more favorable tax terms. It was cheaper to film and record there. And then the jobs have never come back to la. So. So that's another factor, I think very obviously niche to LA and these restaurants that used to drive in a lot of additional revenue and now you're not having those shoots, you know, next to, you know, whatever restaurant it might be where all those people on the crew would go to eat for lunch. You're just not seeing that. Why have I asked my electrician I found on Angie.com to bury my pet hamster Nibbles in our yard for me? Because I was so moved by how carefully he buried my electrical wires, I knew I could trust him to bury my sweet Nibbles after his untimely end.

[Commercial Narrator]

Huh?

[Seth]

Nibbles gone too soon. May he scurry in peace.

[Heidi Montag]

Hey, sorry about your pet, but I just wire stuff.

[Seth]

Nibbles would have loved you like a brother.

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[Seth]

Make it quick, young man.

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[Seth]

Are you my dad now?

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[Jordan]

yeah, like also actors, like you're saying too, like Brad Pitt worked in the restaurant here before he made it. Like, that was always part of the tale is that people would work in these restaurants and then make it in Hollywood. And that was part of the lore. Like, it was such a incredible opportunity to be a waiter or waitress here because you were discovered. Like that's where directors would come in and eat and be like, you need to be in my next movie. And like, that used to happen all the time. They're recruiting out of these restaurants and that was part of the draw and the, you know, reason people wanted to be here and work here and that, that. It's just tricky because it's like, what is the solution? Is there one?

[Heidi Montag]

It's interesting you bring up that because the 25 year anniversary of Leux, which was featured on the Hills, that became this cultural phenomenon nightclub. I also think they had food, but I ate there. That won't ever exist again because now there's not enough shows and movies filmed in LA showcasing any spot where, you know, I remember watching Entourage and you're really just watching. It was like a tour guide of la. Also these hotspots and these cafes and, you know, thank God there is TikTok because at least TikTok will show you like the pop in Matcha, you know, but I'm not sure, you know. And then there's my buddy, Rick Locks. He helps some restaurants.

[Seth]

Oh, he's. I follow him.

[Heidi Montag]

Yeah, Rick Locks. So thankfully, at least so. But the problem is now I've seen there's a lot of blowback with restaurants actually not liking social media influencers because of their expectation of the free food and wanting money. And like now there's this weird trade off that I've been catching. So.

[Seth]

Yeah, and I think you can see through that in the authenticity of some accounts that, okay, this seems a little suspicious. Like, this is sus. Did they pay for this? You know or what was going on here. And so I really try to give a fair thing and I'm not in the business of bashing small businesses. I want them to succeed. If this was their dream that they had for 20 years, they finally got it off the ground. I'll say, you know, I tried this, it just wasn't for me. But maybe it is for someone else. It exists on the menu for a reason. Some people are going to order that and everyone's tastes and opinions are going to be different. So I try to highlight, you know, this is what I enjoyed, this is what I can pass on for next time. But I'm definitely coming back for this.

[Jordan]

Are you noticing or have you heard that it is other cities as well, or is this mostly an LA restaurant crisis?

[Seth]

It's really. I just keep hearing la.

[Jordan]

Wow.

[Heidi Montag]

What do you hear a lot about? Because the reason why I wouldn't go eat at a lot of restaurants in LA is, is because of the homeless, crazed, drug addict energy that's on most of the sides of the street. To the point where, you know, if I want to go to a restaurant, I want to feel safe. I'm a real concerned person about my safety, my wife's safety. So how of those hundred, from what you've heard, where does safety and human poop and the smell of. Of p factor in of these restaurants?

[Seth]

Yeah, I've definitely heard that here in a bit. Especially if somebody has an outdoor patio space. Obviously we live in the most amazing weather in the world in my opinion here in la. So you want to enjoy that outdoor space and have your peace and your safety, as you mentioned. So when those things are happening, obviously that's going to deter people from coming back. And it's. Yeah, again, another factor. I think of many that it's really making it difficult for these operators.

[Heidi Montag]

So what could I do? God willing, I become the mayor. From your expertise, what could the city be doing to help these small businesses that you know, this is just brainstorming.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Heidi Montag]

What, what, what's the magic? Missing things that you feel like they need.

[Seth]

I would suggest talking to people, go and meet these business owners, meet maybe one that just started in the past 12 months and then somebody that's been around for 20 or 30 years and just collect these data points of what they struggle with. I think that's going to be very telling and then you can build an action plan upon that. As I mentioned, I shared what I'm hearing, but there could be other issues too. I've heard insurance once or twice that that's very difficult here. Specifically in California, where you know that liability, if someone gets injured, they have to pay those different fees and insurance policies out. So one injury could really cripple a business, for example. So that could be something, you know, I'd be curious to learn more about because I don't know too much.

[Jordan]

It's also tricky in LA with all the food trucks and there's so many food trucks everywhere and they don't have the same expectations that a restaurant has to pass codes to for sanitary things for all the food. So it's like they're probably paying more and dealing with so much, which we appreciate. But there should be the same standards for food trucks. That's why I don't eat at a lot of food trucks. I'm sure they are. But it's like, well, if I'm going to risk eating in out of my house, I'm going to definitely pick the best that a in the window gets me.

[Heidi Montag]

Well, so recently this is a been is a big X controversy that I actually have been getting asked about when I was collecting signatures. There are a lot of communities that are really not into the amount of street vending food because that Barbara Farrer, the demon lady from the Public health, she no longer requires enforcement of health codes for any street food right now. So what's happened is anyone can now go cook on the side of the street and do whatever, but inside that restaurant they have all these expectations that they have to pay to keep in these standards. So I would love to know that. I don't think they have the map yet of the socioeconomic system of how that. Well, I'll just get my tacos here on the side of the street. But the taco spot that's having to pay to keep everything clean, to have all these grills up to codes and this have to sell their tacos for maybe more than the people that have no regulations. Regulations.

[Jordan]

So they should have the same.

[Heidi Montag]

Yeah, it's a recent.

[Jordan]

They should have the same regulations because it's probably cutting into their business. So it's like, no, we should be honoring these business owners who are paying it, working hard, passing the codes.

[Heidi Montag]

It's, it's back to my again. If I'm running the city, everyone needs to be on this fair playing field. If you're a crazed homeless person going to the bathroom on the side of the street and you don't get in trouble. But Seth goes to the bathroom on the side of the street, but now he's a twice. But he Becomes now a sex offender if he's seen. And he's on the citizens app now, anywhere he goes, because he, you know, was drinking maybe, and got caught peeing next to a.

[Jordan]

That's an elaborate story. This is a really elaborate story.

[Heidi Montag]

Hypothetically, Jordan, who's over here. Jordan did it. You know, not Seth ever. But say Jordan went to the bathroom on the side of the street. He would get all these consequences. And it's back to let's do the food. It just seems like across the city,

[Seth]

there's different rules for different people.

[Heidi Montag]

Exactly. Yeah.

[Seth]

Yeah, and I noticed that, too. The one thing that's really interesting is the RVs that are sitting outside. Okay, I don't mind that, but why don't you have to move that RV when there's street cleaning? You know, Tuesday from 8 to 10, you should have to move that RV to the other side so they can clean the street. And I don't see them ticketing these RVs. Maybe they do. I'm not sure, but it doesn't seem like it. So why is there different rules for different people? And if my car's there, I'm guaranteed to get a ticket right now.

[Heidi Montag]

There. This is as of yesterday. I'm getting all these videos. They're giving everyone in the Palisades parking tickets, but there's no signs anymore, and there's no meters.

[Seth]

Are you kidding?

[Heidi Montag]

So it's back to their ticketing people. They know they can get money from. It all comes back to money. That's why they'll go set up entrapment things on a random street in Brentwood because they know all these moms that are fire victims that are dropping off their kids have. Maybe they have insurance money now, you know. God. Cause they shouldn't have that much after their house burned down.

[Jordan]

Seth, would you ever want to open a restaurant?

[Seth]

No.

[Jordan]

No. Okay. I have to watch this. Yeah.

[Heidi Montag]

Yeah.

[Seth]

I don't know. That's a good question. I've never, you know, really thought about that. If I did, it'd probably be a bakery. I love to bake.

[Jordan]

Oh, my gosh. I love that.

[Seth]

I love chocolate chip cookies to bake those. I did that during COVID for friends that were just, you know, kind of. I felt isolated and sent them in the mail. So, yeah, I think if I had to choose, it would be a bakery.

[Jordan]

That's so sweet that you do that. Where are you from originally?

[Seth]

From the Midwest in Indiana, and I moved here in 2012, so a company moved me out. Angie's List that you could Find contractors out here to rebuild. It's actually a really good system to find like trusted people. And I was traveling with them and they said, do you want to live in LA and meet with business professionals face to face? I was like, oh, this is my golden ticket to get out to la. Because that's very rare for someone to move you out and never looked back.

[Heidi Montag]

So the LA dream for you, coming from the middle, it was, it was the real thing. And how much when you got here, have you seen it change? Obviously the weather is consistent, you know, but the experience from somebody who moved here for that dream, it got here, what's the. What percentage would you say?

[Seth]

I feel like that was the golden years when I moved here. It was. The city had this magic about it, which it still does, but it's dim. I would say it's not as bright as it used to be. And you could not get a restaurant. I have this group that I know, they told me you would have to pay a million dollar buyout just to get the space then, plus all the permits and, you know, everything else that goes into that. It's was impossible to open a new restaurant. Everything was full. And now you drive by and you just see real estate, real estate, real estate sign. And it's just constant.

[Jordan]

It's just so crazy that they rather have it sitting empty than give someone the opportunity to be there and make some money. It's. It's insane to me. It's so shocking when I still see places that years later are empty. I'm like, they've missed out on how much rent they could have just let that build that restaurant be there. And so there has to be a caveat about that. Like maybe they pay extra insurance or like something else.

[Heidi Montag]

They write them off. I think it's a tax write off. I mean, go on the Promenade. I grew up my whole life, every single thing on the Promenade was popping. There was so much. Now everyone is that. And that's prime real estate. So these major building companies must just write off. Oh, we got no rent. I don't. Again, we got to talk to some extra.

[Jordan]

But that's my thought because that was part of the fun too is like that these restaurants were so exclusive you couldn't get in. You're like waiting months to get into a place and if you're like a VIP that you could get snuck in, you just want to see the inside of it. There was no, like Instagram. You had to go there to yourself and like check it out. You can just look at someone else's site. So that exclusivity that was also really appreciated is gone.

[Seth]

Yeah, that's true.

[Heidi Montag]

Are there any restaurants that you know that specific city or city council members or leadership or anything that involved the government that hurt a business?

[Seth]

Yeah, I did report on this. It was Beito's Market. And that apparently what happened was there was one particular, particular neighbor that just constantly kept filing these complaints. And I want to say it was maybe over 30 different complaints and the city would come and investigate them. But I think what happened is they just had so many and they were just like fine and they pulled their liquor license. And I have a close friend that works there and said when the first complaint came in, we started to have the closing time. You know, let's say the Cutoff was at 9pm they even did a half hour early just to, you know, help the neighbors say, okay, look, we're making some changes. They took the outdoor music out. That was one of the other complaints. So they removed all of that. And he said it was just constant attacks. And what's interesting is before used to be, from what my understanding is a like 711 type quick convenience store that was pretty run down. So what took the place of it is this great place for the community to come and enjoy. And just because one person doesn't enjoy it and they keep filing complaints, how does that, like give the city the right to strip the license but also affect all these people's jobs? And that was. What's so frustrating is we know that the affordability crisis out here is terrible and the homeless problem just keeps getting worse. You're essentially making, let's say there's 20 people that earn incomes around the liquor license. You have the bartenders, the bar backs, maybe a manager or two, you're effectively taking all of their income and essentially saying, good luck, you may end up being homeless. So why wasn't there more of a due process to see what can we actually do to rectify this? Maybe it's, you have to close now another hour early. It just doesn't seem fair that they can have that broad of an impact.

[Jordan]

What haters like one hater can affect. That drives me nuts. That one hater and one person can lie, make up things to whatever they want with no repercussions in this world. And we've made it to like, cater to this pretend person's thing instead of like, okay, what's right, what's real, let's investigate. Let's not just believe this person. Like, that's just infuriating it's like this

[Heidi Montag]

one hater that sues the state of California to keep all these crazy plants over people policies so they don't clear any dead brush so people burn alive. I think she sued by herself the state 45 times. So eventually they say, oh, you know, it's back to that where they should just say seeing, you know, yes, have fun. Like we're not, you know, but it's these type of people that can. Yeah, you know, and I hate to use the word Karen, you know, but that's the, that is the trending word. So funny when I did la's had enough Karen or whatever, I had so many Karens reach out like, please, no more using the word Karen. I'm like, I'm sorry.

[Seth]

I wonder how many name changes have been submitted.

[Heidi Montag]

I'm sorry. The ship sailed.

[Jordan]

It seems like there should be like a three strike policy or something like that to give more grace to these restaurant owners because that restaurant, Horses, right, is dealing with the same thing. That's a bigger restaurant, right?

[Seth]

Yeah. There in particular, what I've learned was allegedly mismanagement. A lot of that came from people not getting paid. Allegedly paychecks bouncing. So something with the money again, back to the money wasn't reaching the workers. Well, if you're not paying your staff, why are you going to show up for work? You're not. So they had two people quit and then it was almost a domino effect after that. You know, everybody else was like, well, these two people are gone, the main chef's gone, I'm not getting paid, why would I stick around? I don't know why that happened, allegedly. But that's what I heard about horses. So to your point, it's like you can build these great brands and sometimes you do have all the capital. But mismanagement, again, that can just be a nail in the coffin too.

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[Jordan]

Yeah, you would think that this restaurant, like, oh, they're so successful. It's like, well, maybe they were living paycheck to paycheck and couldn't make their ends meet too, and are just trying. And, you know, I do remember in my small town things like that happening to other restaurants sometimes. And you know, you're like, oh, shoot, didn't get enough money in or whatever it was. But, yeah, it's hard. It's a hard business. And it shouldn't be so hard because people appreciate it and enjoy it and it's cutthroat. It's like, it's a very cutthroat world. And I get that. But not everyone should be struggling so hard.

[Heidi Montag]

For instance, one of my favorite chefs, he decided to close a really incredible spot for the community, Birdie G's. And his last post before the night it was closed, he showed, I guess the hypocrisy or the lunacy of the situation that all the parking spots in front of the restaurant at night, the city wouldn't let them use because they said they couldn't, but they're. So he's just videoing all these empty spots right in front. And the city was like, oh, no, because I guess it's part of Bergamont Station. And they were saying, when Bergamont Station's closed, you can't use these spots. But that impacted people using the restaurant. I mean, I'm sure there was more, but that was this final chef that had, you know, I feel like he's had 20 years worth of successful restaurants. So he knows how important this was. If that was a, you know, he's not even a big social media type chef if he's videoing these spots. This was clearly a. And so that's the type of things that here, the city cared about these empty spots, whatever stupid code or reasons. And now all these people lost their jobs, this place closed. And now that community also doesn't have a place for everyone to come together.

[Jordan]

It's also a really tricky thing in LA with this micromanaging. It's like, how does one city council member, one person get to make that choice? Like, things like that should be able to be. Com. Like in a complaint and then go up the chain. It's like, okay, no, I'm not liking. You don't get to make that choice. Someone else needs to take, have an opinion on it. And look at that. That's crazy.

[Heidi Montag]

That's crazy, honey.

[Jordan]

And they don't care. That's the problem. It's that person who made that parking choice doesn't care that their restaurant's gone. Oh, sorry for you. It's like, no, that was his life. That was his legacy. That was his labor he had.

[Heidi Montag]

I remember him making each plate for the restaurant. So that's the part, you know, when you really follow a chef that cares. Every detail they put in it, they put their heart. Oh, my gosh. So watching that, you know, now you've moved to, I don't know, like, Northern California. So he's done la, lost this incredible chef. He's gone, he's out.

[Seth]

To your point, I've talked to a couple of restaurant owners and chefs that are moving out of state because there's just so many less regulations. They don't feel they have to have this burden that something's going to happen on a whim where they could get shut down. So that's, I would say maybe two or three different chefs and restaurant owners I've talked to that have told me that. So that's a trend that we don't want to see. Obviously, we want to keep them here and to piggyback on that a little bit. Another trend I've been seeing outside the restaurant, but it's with other small businesses, are these boutique yoga studios, fitness studios, CrossFit, where I think, going back to what I originally said in the beginning about the rents, they're feeling those effects. And particular in my area on Sunset Boulevard, you see all these billboards going up. Well, as you mentioned, with the parking lot, these billboards take a long time to get approved, built, and then finally functioning, and they take out all the parking. So these small businesses already suffer, especially on Sunset Boulevard with limited parking. So people show up and they're like, well, where do I go? Or how do you attract new clients? When one of their first questions, oh, where's parking? It's like, oh, good luck. Like, go down the hill and try to find a spot, you know? And so I would love to see the city take some of this revenue because, you know, they're making a ton of money from these billboards going in. At least subsidize these places while the construction's going on. I haven't heard if that's Happening if it is, that would be amazing. But I don't think it is.

[Heidi Montag]

Guarantee you it's not. Yeah, it's true. You know, there's. There's a whole part of LA that will say, well, everyone should be on bikes. But that's not real. You know, but that's this crazed argument or safe. No, but I know, I just keep arg. I have to argue. If you want X all day scary

[Seth]

to have a bike.

[Heidi Montag]

No, they'd expect all of us to be on bikes. I'm like, if you want to ride a bike, go for it. But you know, but that's. There's a big part of the people going after the city saying, well, there shouldn't be cars and there shouldn't be parking for cars. And there's anti car people.

[Jordan]

So is anti everything.

[Heidi Montag]

That's what it's.

[Jordan]

It's like anti, anti, anti, anti.

[Seth]

It's like the city has to be built for that. Like, for example, if you've ever been to Barcelona, I think they have done a fantastic, fantastic job of building a community, pedestrian, people focused city that still incorporates cars, but it was built that way. So you can't go into LA because imagine all the lawsuits if you decide to change something. Like with anything. It takes forever to get done. It's just not feasible for something like that to happen here. So it's like, well, if they would have planned way back when you are

[Jordan]

well traveled, what's your favorite place that you've been to? Other country favorite.

[Seth]

I do love Barcelona. It changed a bit too since COVID but it's still really great. It's very safe. You could walk around at 2 or 3 in the morning.

[Jordan]

No one's in this outfit.

[Heidi Montag]

I don't know.

[Seth]

I don't know. Probably be right behind, I think.

[Heidi Montag]

Pretty crazy video a couple weeks ago, you know, everywhere it's got cra. You know, my algorithm's pretty crazy.

[Seth]

I wanted to say, Heidi, I have to thank you because I met my best friend Jordan because of you.

[Jordan]

Oh my gosh.

[Seth]

So when I first moved to la, I maybe knew one person just like through some people. And so I get invited to this pool party and music's playing, of course, and then body language comes on and Jordan says, does anyone know who sings this? I was the only one that raised my hand. I was like, this is Heidi. And he goes, we're gonna be friends.

[Jordan]

Oh my God.

[Seth]

And ever since then we've been best friends.

[Jordan]

Oh my gosh. That's one of the best stories that might be the Best story I've ever heard.

[Heidi Montag]

I think I'm done with this podcast. I'll end on that note for a little bit.

[Jordan]

I have a performance coming up and I was like, I have to put on it. Hit me in the car. Body language. I was like, people love body language. It was my first like step out performance moment. Thank you. Thank you both so much for loving that and watching that, listening to it.

[Seth]

Let's do it. And yeah, I remember I first kind of got more into social media and especially Tik Tok. Cuz I feel like you can be a little bit more anonymous there. You don't have all your friends following you and so when the fire started to happen, I heard about you losing obviously everything but including that with your magazine collection.

[Jordan]

Yeah.

[Seth]

So I have something for you.

[Jordan]

Oh my gosh.

[Seth]

This is the Maxim. So if you don't have it but if you have one now. Unsafe.

[Jordan]

I love this. Oh my gosh. This was like the biggest freaking deal to be on this cover. Was the biggest deal.

[Seth]

Yes.

[Jordan]

Oh my gosh.

[Heidi Montag]

What that meant.

[Jordan]

Oh my gosh. Thank you.

[Seth]

You're very welcome.

[Heidi Montag]

Wow.

[Seth]

Iconic.

[Jordan]

Thank you. Oh my gosh.

[Heidi Montag]

It'll be hanging here one day.

[Seth]

Yeah, One day.

[Jordan]

Yes. Swear it was. Oh my gosh. Thank you so much. Wow.

[Seth]

Thanks for having me here. Yeah, I just want to keep, you know, the purpose of my channel is to create, create awareness really covering what's happening in la. Another thing that I'm going to do a video on later today actually is lax wants to increase the prices for drop off and pickups of Uber lift taxi and all that. So another rate increase. It'll eventually they said 120%. So it's like that surcharge you pay immediately before you even get in the car. And it's like. Okay, well first of all how many years now is the people mover delayed and it's apparently getting pushed again. So it's just give us infrastructure where we can use it.

[Jordan]

Yeah.

[Seth]

And then like let's make some decisions after that.

[Jordan]

They're just trying to pay for that thing for the Olympics and all these upcoming are trying to pay for what

[Heidi Montag]

they already spent last year. It's just, it's insane. Well, where can everyone follow you?

[Seth]

You can follow me on Instagram, on Seth, on the Scene and on Tik Tok as well. I do have a newsletter that is in a beta stage but I'm developing it so you can find all the latest restaurants that are opening. I will include the list of closings because that's important to have those conversations. But I really want to keep, you know, LA on that positive momentum where we have to keep pushing, we're gonna get through it. I think the pendulum swings and we have to ride that upward to get us back to when I first moved here and fell in love with the city in 2012. I want everyone to experience that kind of magic.

[Heidi Montag]

Have you. I wonder if restaurant owners would be scared to like, almost not say we're going out of business, but ones that maybe they could, that are hurting so that, you know, so it's not like

[Jordan]

almost like an alert.

[Heidi Montag]

Yeah, like an alert. I feel like communities step up when they know, like, oh, like maybe you always go to a spot, then you stop going and then it goes where, like, oh my God. I would have gone. There's so much more.

[Seth]

I have a great example of that and I was very proud of this restaurant. I actually hadn't gone to it before hearing the news, but it takes a lot of courage to admit any kind of problem as a person, as a business, it's obviously people running them and they put on social media that they were on a shoestring. They were about to close. They said, if anyone wants to come out to help support us, we might get enough revenue to continue on. It's Ronin on 3rd street and it's fantastic pizza, by the way. Really good. And they did it. And I did a video of it because I was like, you know, I have to help support them. Like, that takes again, a lot of courage to be able to say something, anything like that. They have lines, online orders. I was getting DMs. I'm going tonight. I'm taking my corporation there. We have 20 people going in. I'm having my next birthday there. And that's what makes it rewarding for me, is that I can help change these restaurants trajectory with a simple video. And that's what it's all about. It's like keeping this community, building it and helping us get back to where 2012 was when I first moved here.

[Heidi Montag]

Boom.

[Jordan]

Yes.

[Heidi Montag]

Thank you to everyone listening and watching. Please give it a 5 star review algorithm. Loves that. Make sure to follow Seth on the scene on IG and TikTok and we'll see you next week.

[Seth]

Two teams, one cup. The primetime stage is set for the TGL presented by SoFi. Los Angeles Golf Club versus Tigers Jupiter Links.

[Heidi Montag]

Keep up.

[Seth]

It's playoffs. Tune in. Monday, March 23, 9pm Eastern on ESPN2 and Tuesday, March 24, 7pm Eastern on ESPN. And on the ESPN app this episode is brought to you by Athletic Brewing Co. No matter how you do game day, on the couch, in the crowd or manning the snack table, Athletic Brewing fits right in with a full lineup of non alcoholic beer styles you can enjoy bold flavors all game long. No hangovers, no buzz, no subbing out for water in the second half. Stock the fridge for tip off with a variety of non alcoholic craft styles. Available at your local grocery store or online@athletic brewing.com near beer fit for all

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[Jordan]

How quick?

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Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile.

[Seth]

I don't know if you knew this,

[Heidi Montag]

but anyone can get the same Premium Wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying.

[Seth]

It's not just for celebrities, so so

[Heidi Montag]

do like I did and have one

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[Seth]

I'm told it's super easy to [e-mail]

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