By Dr. John E. Warren – Publisher
On Monday, March 14th, patrons of Felix’s BBQ with Soul, were greeted at the door with a simple sign that read “Dear Guests, Family and Friends, we regret to inform you that our lease has not been renewed and we will be closing Felix’s BBQ with Soul effective [Tuesday] March 15th, 2016. It has been a pleasure serving you and we look forward to returning to the community in the future. For now, we invite you to visit our Oceanside location – 3613 Ocean Ranch, Blvd. (760) 439-7072.”
Felix’s BBQ Restaurant represents one of the last businesses of its nature in District 4, which, historically has been a mostly African American community – or in recent times, a community known to be geared towards an African American demographic. The official reasons given by the restaurant was the failure on the part of Market Creek to renew the lease which expires on March 25th. Felix, the owner posted a notice stating how much he has enjoyed serving the community the past three years and invites everyone to visit their Oceanside location.
Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation issued the following statement when questioned about the restaurant closing:
“The lease terms for Felix’s BBQ has expired effective March 25th and will not be renewed. We are very disappointed with this turn of events. As part of the normal management of Market Creek Plaza, we work to ensure the financial health of the mall for the benefit of our community investors.
The Jacobs Center has a demonstrated history of providing investment and flexibility to local businesses. However, we must be responsible for stewards of Market Creek Plaza and the financial investments made by the community residents. We cannot comment further on what is a contractual matter.”
While Jacobs can’t comment, the community can and has. When news hit social media, many expressed outrage, confusion and great concern. Ree Williams, a former San Diegan and successful business owner, heard of the news and shared “Another Black business given the shaft by the mismanagement that is the Jacobs Center!!! Same foolishness happened to Magnolia’s! And folks wonder why there is no viable Black small business growth in Southeast…The Jacobs Center has been in Southeast too long doing nothing but stopping progress! There certainly should be a mass walk away from that ‘entity’ whose agenda is not betterment for Southeast.” Another social media contributor shared “Unfortunate a quality African American establishment that was flourishing in its own community now is only a memoir.”
Members of the community are asking what about the 42 people who just lost their jobs? Others are remembering Magnolia’s Restaurant which occupied that same space until it closed in 2010 due to a dispute with Jacobs over rents and contract terms. The Johnson’s, Bessy and Charles who operated the restaurant, complained that Jacobs did not provide the support promised when they were ask to come to the Market Creek Plaza, and therefore did not have the resources to stay. Snappers, a fish oriented carry-out that operated around the corner from Magnolia’s for a while also closed. Former operators and employees of the carry-out remember Jacobs as interfering with pricing and the operation of the business and then finally one day just coming in and changing the locks, closing the business. Then there was the Red Rooster, another carry-out operating on the back side of the shopping center, in more recent years. They sought a lease on the front side of the mall with more visibility when at least two of the businesses located on the front side closed. They were not given a lease and eventually had to lose the location they had and the business they had built.
It appears that most of these contracting issues occurred prior to the arrival of Mr. Reginald Jones, current President and CEO of the Jacobs Center, including Felix’s lease, which was signed prior to his arrival. While no one wants to discuss the details of their particular lease, past or present, it appears that until recently, the leases were negotiated with the Jacobs executives operating the center. Under Jones’ administration, the management of the shopping center, including contracts for security and maintenance, have been placed with a property management company, thereby removing Jones and his team from any direct responsibility for the operation of the mall. However, this wall of separation neither satisfies nor interests a community who only sees the removal of a Black owned business by the very people they perceive as responsible for the closure.
Whatever the original terms of the contract with Felix, he accepted those terms when he or his business associates signed the lease. How this lease went to a month to month relationship for a business is still a legal matter between Felix and Jacobs. However, what the community thinks of Jacobs is probably a matter that should be directed at the Jacobs family and its Board of Directors who appear to be dictating to Jones and not the investors as to how they want the center operated. The investors referred to in the Jacobs statement on the closing of the restaurant are still and will always be 51% controlled by the foundation or family and its corporate shares. The community was never intended to have controlling interest in Market Creek.
This same property management company or its predecessor turned down giving its general security contract for the mall to an African American security firm from the community, and brought in an outside group with no ties to the community.
But the third leg to this stool of African American ownership of restaurants in the community belongs to a community which has a long history of not fully supporting African American owned restaurants. There was Laboras on 54th and Euclid a few doors from Bonnie Jeans; Aswan Cafe on University Avenue; Sherman’s on El Cajon Boulevard; Monroe’s on University, Magnolias at Market Creek; Betsy’s at Lomita Village; Huffman’s on Imperial Avenue which outlasted those who came during his time. Lastly, there was Annabelle’s Wings and Greens which is now gone.
The survivors as Bonnie Jeans, Louisiana Fried Chicken, Island Spice (now on University Avenue); Bankhead Mississippi Soul Food on Paradise Valley Road; and Laylah’s Jamaican Food on Main Street. These establishments are eat in and mainly carry-out and they attract a more daily business. But restaurants like Felix’s and Bourre’ Southern Bistro, provide the full restaurant atmosphere that makes a restaurant a restaurant. African Americans, outside of the support that Felix’s generated, are not that regular in week day dinning which makes the restaurant such a loss to the community.
Felix Berry had great plans for the Euclid restaurant. He envisioned becoming a central gathering spot, a melting social pot for food, drink and entertainment. In a recent article on Felix, that the San Diego Voice & Viewpoint published just a few months ago, Berry shared that his strongest support came from ministers in the community. “The clergy would come to the restaurant once a week, and I got to sit with them and talk about their concerns with the community. Whenever we needed feedback, we would get it through the grapevine of the churches.” Berry had been working on ways to give back to the community that supported him. He was working to create a community calendar of events, as well as offer career path development for his employees.
Berry still owns and operates a successful restaurant in Oceanside, which draws a significant supportive crowd.
At the end of the day, the question remains will those who used the restaurant have a voice or say in what follows? If not what are the community options in dealing with Jacobs and its business interest.
