El Coyote Cafe

{{Infobox restaurant

|name =

|logo =

|image =El_Coyote_Cafe_Los_Angeles_Aug_2022.jpg

|image_caption =Exterior of El Coyote Cafe, 2022

|established = {{Start date and age|1931|03|05}}

|closed =

|current-owner =

|chef =

|head-chef =

|food-type =

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|street-address = 7312 Beverly Boulevard

|city = Los Angeles

|county = Los Angeles

|state = California

|postcode = 90036

|longEW =

|coordinates = {{coord|34|4|33.61|N|118|20|57.31|W|display=inline,title}}

|website = {{URL|http://www.elcoyotecafe.com}}

}}

El Coyote Cafe is a Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles that opened on March 5, 1931.[http://www.elcoyotecafe.com/index_lo.html About El Coyote] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070111180914/http://www.elcoyotecafe.com/index_lo.html |date=January 11, 2007 }} It is most notable for being the location of the final meal of four of the victims of the Manson family murders.

History

Opened in 1931 by Blanche and George March, the tiny cafe was originally located at First and La Brea. In 1951 El Coyote moved to its present location on Beverly Boulevard. Today there are eight rooms and a patio where an average of 1,000 meals are served daily. Their margaritas have been voted the city's best by Los Angeles magazine and the Los Angeles Times. They have also grown to 95 staff members. They have a seating capacity of 375.

Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, and Wojciech Frykowski ate their last meal at El Coyote on the night of August 8, 1969; they were later murdered by three members of the Manson Family. The movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood recreated the scene, using the same booth Tate sat in when she dined there.{{cite news |last1=Nickolai |first1=Nate |title=An L.A. Locations Guide to 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' – |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-locations-guide-musso-and-frank-1203284555/ |accessdate=2 August 2019 |publisher=Variety |date=July 30, 2019}}

In 2008, activists called to boycott the Cafe after it became known that Marjorie Christoffersen, a manager at the restaurant and daughter of the owner, had donated $100 in support of Proposition 8, a ballot initiative to block marriage rights for homosexuals.{{cite news|last1=Zavis|first1=Alexandra|last2=Holland|first2=Gale|last3=Grad|first3=Shelby|title=Gay marriage backers threaten boycotts of pro-Prop. 8 restaurants|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2008/11/gay-marriage-ba.html|work=Los Angeles Times|date=November 12, 2008}}{{cite news|last1=Derrick|first1=Lisa|title=Prop 8 Boycott Called on Legendary El Coyote Restaurant|url=https://shadowproof.com/2008/11/11/prop-8-boycott-called-on-legendary-el-coyote-restaurant/|accessdate=January 1, 2016|work=Shadowproof|date=November 11, 2008}} Christoffersen held a free brunch for activists in which Christoffersen apologized for causing offense, but refused to renounce her support of the ban, which she attributed to her Mormon faith. The boycott was partly because the restaurant had been known as a gay hangout, which "hit too close to home" according to one organizer. The boycott was responsible for slashing revenue by 30%.{{cite news|last1=Carlton|first1=Jim|title=Gay Activists Boycott Backers of Prop 8|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123033766467736451|accessdate=January 1, 2016|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=December 27, 2008}}

El Coyote celebrated its 80th anniversary on March 13, 2011, with 75¢ dinner specials.{{cite web |url=http://www.larchmontchronicle.com/ArchiveDetail.asp?ArchiveID=624 |title=Larchmont Chronicle Story Archive: El Coyote Café |work=Larchmont Chronicle |accessdate=December 2, 2006 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061022105912/http://www.larchmontchronicle.com/ArchiveDetail.asp?ArchiveID=624 |archivedate=October 22, 2006 |url-status=dead }}

References

Category:1931 establishments in California

Category:Landmarks in Los Angeles

Category:Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles

Category:Restaurants established in 1931