Eddie Navarrette; PHOTO COURTESY OF EDDIE NAVARETTE
Los Angeles has always been a city of dreamers, but for many of its independent restaurant owners, the dream has turned into a fight for survival. The recent wildfires, a lingering pandemic impact and relentless bureaucracy have left countless businesses on the brink of collapse. But Eddie Navarrette isn’t letting them go down without a fight.
As Executive Director of the Independent Hospitality Coalition (IHC) and owner of FE Design and Consulting, Navarrette has been on the front lines, advocating for restaurants, bars and small businesses struggling to stay afloat. Born and raised in L.A., he has a deep-rooted connection to the city’s culture and small business community. “I’ve lived in L.A. my entire life, moving through different neighborhoods as my father, a car salesman, relocated often,” Navarrette shares. “In my teens, I left school and immersed myself in the city’s underground music scene, living the vagabond lifestyle with my bandmates. That experience shaped my deep connection to the city, its culture, and its small business community.”
Navarrette advocates for restaurants, bars and small businesses struggling to stay afloat; PHOTO BY TOM WERNER/GETTY IMAGES
The fires that swept through parts of L.A. Jan. 7 devastated the already struggling restaurant industry. “For many businesses, it was the final blow,” he says. “Some restaurants lost their entire customer base overnight. Others, especially along PCH, were left with little to no access to their businesses or without reliable utilities. Many had to lay off their entire staff. Now, those who managed to reopen are operating with skeleton crews, sometimes just the owners, barely holding on, counting the days until rent is due.”
Navarrette and his team at IHC have stepped up to provide relief. “The hospitality industry is built on service, and when a crisis hits, we do what we know best—we step up,” he says. “The IHC helped connect our community to feed emergency workers and evacuees. Many in our industry, despite their own struggles, continue raising funds for fire relief. To us, this crisis feels like another pandemic—except this time, there are no government relief programs in place to help businesses survive.”
Beyond immediate relief, IHC is also focused on long-term solutions. “We’ve created detailed policy proposals—practical solutions that can stop the bleeding,” he says. “These aren’t just wish lists; they’re targeted measures that cut through red tape and provide immediate relief.”
He urges Angelenos to support local restaurants and help IHC continue its work. “Los Angeles is too loved—by its people, by its culture, by the world—to be left to fail.”
Photography by: Eddie Navarrette
