Long Beach gave home kitchens a legal path into the restaurant business, and Steak Freaks immediately tested how far that path could stretch. The temporary steak-frites operation sold out dinners from a living room and backyard before shutting down on July 26, less than three months after its launch.
The experiment worked almost too well. As reported by the Long Beach Post, chef Brad Thomas and ceramicist Clay Wood turned a home into a $69-per-person dining room, hired a small staff and attracted more customers than the property could comfortably handle.
At its busiest, the project looked less like an occasional supper club and more like a compact restaurant without the lease. LAist described two seatings serving 32 guests across a night, with hanger steak, crispy frites and a six-course menu prepared partly over open flame in the backyard.
The Rules Were Built For A Launchpad
Long Beach’s MEHKO ordinance allows a home-based food business to serve up to 30 meals a day and 90 meals a week, while limiting gross annual sales to $100,000. The city ordinance also bars alcohol sales or consumption and permits one full-time employee, or multiple employees whose combined hours do not exceed 40 hours per week…