After multiple health code violations prompted a closure back in May and a more recent closure earlier this month, it looks like Tavern on 2 in Belmont Shore will be closed indefinitely, according to the Press-Telegram.
Located 5110 E. Second St., the gastropub became a quick hit in the Shore when it opened in the summer of 2011, offering what was a rarity back then: local craft beer paired with the then-growing trend of “upscale” comfort food.
This marks the second major closure of a staple food and drink establishment in the Shore this year, following the closure of Acapulco Inn which had served the Shore for over 60 years. Add to this the closing of multiple retail and commercial businesses like The Rubber Tree and Jones Bicycles—the two having done business in the Shore for over 130 years combined—and it shows the quickly changing commercial face of one of Long Beach’s oldest and most vibrant neighborhoods.
“We are seeing a change with some of our older businesses leaving and newer generations coming in,” Dede Rossi, executive director of the Belmont Shore Business Association, told the Post back in July of this year. “It’s a sign of the times.”
The first blow to the restaurant’s operations came on May 11 when, according to a health code violation report from the city, Tavern faced an assortment of serious issues, including food stored at an improper temperature, a lack of hand-washing facilities, a sewage leak that forced the restaurant to clear its plumbing lines, flies near beverage containers and dispensers, and a vermin infestation with animal droppings “too numerous to count.”
While a “closed for maintenance” sign was put up September 7, head chef and longtime worker Joseph Hiatt told the Press-Telegram that they “just don’t have the people to operate it” because it has been difficult to find “experienced line cooks.”
On top of this, the restaurant’s LLC license has been suspended, according to California’s Secretary of State website.
Owner Brian Clark has yet to return requests for comment for this story.
Brian Addison is a columnist and editor for the Long Beach Post. Reach him at [email protected] or on social media at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.