Firstborn, Kali and Tiger Tiger are some of the upscale restaurants altering their menus and prices to meet the moment
For fine-dining restaurants in Los Angeles, the amount guests are willing to spend on an evening out is increasingly being outweighed by the cost of doing business, leading some to pivot to a lower price point and refined menu to appeal to a wider customer base.
In 2025, at least 100 L.A. restaurants closed. Managing partner Tom Sopit of Santa Monica restaurant Employees Only, which will be closing on Sept. 27, said changes in the habits of customers and external factors like inflation contributed to the restaurant’s closure.
“We came in with closer to a traditional full service model, and we made adjustments as we went, but our concept and our model was built on that,” said Sopit. “I’m hoping that the new era of restaurants and restaurant operators will find ways to operate in a way that makes sense, where people can dine out and not feel like, ‘Man, I just spent my life savings on that dinner.”
Sopit said one answer to the problem might be having a smaller menu with less labor-intensive preparation for staff, to save costs on labor and ingredients. Recently, several enterprising restaurateurs have changed their menus to offer guests a lower price point and encourage Angelenos to visit more often.
Credit: Courtesy of Firstborn
Firstborn, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Chinatown, recently shifted from an à la carte model to a prix-fixe menu priced at $68, which chef Anthony Wang said was a result of their success offering the deal during Dine LA restaurant week.
“The feedback that we got overwhelmingly from guests was that this was a really, really great value, and they were super happy to just be able to do this, be able to walk in for $68+ a person,” Wang said.
But since the menu change in February, Wang said there has been a “pretty major slowdown” in traffic to the restaurant, though they hope to regain equal traction to the menu’s initial Valentine’s Day launch.
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In addition, the restaurant industry is also contending with rising food costs. Wang said they must be intentional to lower their food costs, because overall overhead, like the cost of goods, labor, utilities and insurance, has all gone up over the last decade. One way Firstborn does this is by using non-conventional, non-premium proteins, as the restaurant recently switched out beef tongue for lamb neck in its terrine.
With the new menu, Wang said the restaurant aims to be more accessible to and attract a wider customer base, as the restaurant is built off of the concept of a modern bistro that is meant to be “welcoming and inclusive for everybody.”
“I think this is the thing that makes modern bistros really dynamic and interesting places to eat at because they’re inclusive, they’re approachable, they’re accessible in terms of price, relatively, while still showcasing a lot of chef-driven technique, keeping the general vibe light and fun, not kind of stuck with the formal aspects of fine dining,” Wang said.
Several other L.A. restaurants have also recently implemented a menu change. Kali, a Michelin-starred Hollywood steakhouse, has transformed into Kali Reimagined, moving away from its previous tasting courses and wine pairings to serving a more traditional steakhouse menu with meat, potatoes, salad and sides.
Credit: Courtesy Frank Lee
Another recent rebrand: last month Beverly Hills’ 88 Club transitioned into Tiger Tiger, a more casual version of the Chinese restaurant. Top Chef winner chef Mei Lin told Eater, Tiger Tiger’s menu expanded on what was offered at 88 Club to offer less labor-intensive dishes and more options to customers. Tiger Tiger serves noodles, rice, chicken dishes and more from about $20 to $30, while keeping some more expensive specials, including steak and crab, on the menu.
With fine dining flipping into more casual eateries, it seems more affordable price points could be the answer to L.A.’s restaurant closure trend.
Dining and Cooking