California’s vibrant restaurant industry, long celebrated for its cultural diversity and culinary creativity, is facing a new economic blow as federal immigration raids ripple through immigrant communities and cut deeply into sales at local eateries.
Across cities from Richmond to Los Angeles, restaurateurs report dramatic drops in customer traffic and revenue, attributing much of the downturn to fear among immigrant patrons and workers of encountering Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Steep declines in foot traffic and revenue
Owners of a bustling hub of Latino-owned restaurants in Richmond and San Pablo said sales have dropped between 60% and 80% as patrons stay home amid concerns about immigration enforcement. Juan Nuñez, co-owner of El Mexicano Restaurant and Café, said his establishment once generated around $20,000 in monthly sales, but recent returns have dwindled to about $5,000 — barely a quarter of typical revenue.
In parts of Los Angeles and Orange County, the impact has been even sharper. Laura Diaz, owner of the Perla restaurant in Santa Ana, said attendance plunged so severely that her business experienced about a 90% drop in customers following intensified ICE activity and a National Guard presence downtown…