[dropcap size=big]L.A.[/dropcap] Taco has been notified of an anti-semitic act of vandalism that occurred last Thursday night at The Greyhound Bar & Grill in Highland Park. According to co-owner Mateo Glassman, a “fairly large swastika” was carved into the wall in the men’s bathroom.
The restaurant posted about it on both their Facebook and Instagram accounts the following day and addressed the situation head-on with their loyal customers.
The Greyhound was among the first of the new-school businesses to open on the Figueroa Street side of Highland Park in 2014, replacing a pupusa shop. The owners are Mateo Glassman (formerly of Father’s Office), Ryan Julio, and James Bygrave along with his wife Andrea Bygrave. Since then, they have earned the respect of the neighborhood with their Happy Hour “Blue Hour” promotion and a “90042uesdays” special on Tuesday nights where they offer a 20 percent discount to residents who live in the 90042 zip code.
“We are quite seriously a family and I’m not going to let some coward drawing pictures in the bathroom get in the way of our mission,” Glassman informs L.A. Taco via an email. He goes on, “We pride ourselves on diversity, and not just racial or religious but gender, socio-economic, education, and diversity of thought. Above beer and wings and pizza and Dodgers, our number one product is community.”
Glassman confirms to L.A. Taco that in their five and a half year run in Highland Park, they’ve “never, ever, ever” had any issues like this and that they have “no reason to believe that at this point this wasn’t an isolated idiot and not a pattern of hate and intolerance.” So far, they don’t have any suspects.
Nonetheless, Glassman is not taking it lightly. “I think it’s worth saying that as a Jewish business owner, I don’t view this as an attack on me or my family personally, but an attack on the entire community of Highland Park.” He shares that The Greyhound prides themselves in most of their customers being regulars who return often.
He informs L.A. Taco that their “handyman has been busy all weekend” and he expects to finish fixing it today.
“I have no doubt, I repeat, no doubt, that we as a community are much bigger than this and will have no problem picking each other up and taking care of each other long after this image has been painted over.”
Editor for James Beard Award-winning L.A. TACO. Associate Producer for JBA-winning Las Crónicas Del Taco. Former restaurant scout for Jonathan Gold. Co-Author of "Oaxaca: Home Cooking From the Heart of Mexico (2019, Abrams) and "Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling" (2023, Abrams).
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