Tito’s Owner Wrong About CicLAvia, Clarke Claims

Because hundreds of hungry pedestrians and bicycle riders are are going to pass by her restaurant during this event, I would expect the sales at the business will increase significantly. Therefore, the City of Culver City should sue her to recover any resultant sales “above average.”

Unless you already know about Tito’s, chances are you aren’t going to stop there over any other place. Most of their business is from repeat customers, and their new customers come via word-of-mouth. Anyone who doesn’t already know about Tito’s is going to think, “What a dive” and ride on by. And there are so many other eating places along the route, including a Farmers Market, I think 1 out of 100 people stopping at Tito’s is overly optimistic. I’d be surprised if more than 50 people stopped to get food. Most riders are either going to be eating down in Venice, at the Farmers Market, or downtown Culver City.

Uh, Ms Davidson, I have some news for you . . . I ALWAYS take the #6 Bus when I go to Tito’s, many other of your patrons do too! And a lot WALK to your place (CCFD Station #2 guys, for example). It is unrealistic for you to state that “virtually all customers arrive by car”. Get your head out of the sand!

Mrs. Davidson must be conveniently forgetting that Tito’s parking and traffic jams cause jaywalking and a multitude of traffic violations on that corner year round. CicLAvia will be saving people’s lives – especially if they skip that poor excuse for a “taco”.

Maybe Ms. Davidson should call up the owners of Stout on Ventura. They decided to be part of the event when CicLAvia was in the valley and were so busy it was at least an hour wait when we went by. From what I hear, they’ve never had business that good on a Sunday.

I agree, Kathleen. I’m a Tito’s regular; I walk there from my house about a mile away and I am participating in CicLAvia. As an avid cyclist and supporter of small businesses and community health and wellness I find it really sad that she is making this all about her, when she could spin it to her advantage if she wasn’t so focused on the fact that her parking lot will be temporarily closed. I hope that instead of boycotting Tito’s, people will stop there and she’ll see how beneficial this community event is. But it’s still sad that she has missed the point of people living in community and taking back the streets for our families and for our health. After all isn’t that a big part of being a locally run small business?

Dear Ms. Davidson,

Driving access to your business HAS NOT been blocked off. Sepulveda Blvd will be open to autos. Your parking lot is easily accessible from the alley next to Johnnie’s Pastrami. Bet that business isn’t whining.

Thank you CicLAvia for coming back to the Westside!

there also cinco de mayo next door too

As the person who did door-to-door outreach for the first two years of CicLAvias, I would urge cyclists not to hate on Tito’s Tacos. Before experiencing their first CicLAvia, lots of businesses are worried about customers. Business owners don’t know what to expect, and envision a marathon bike race rushing past. After experiencing a CicLAvia, 99% of these businesses are happy and want to know when it will come again.

I have been going to Tito’s for many years, and always without a car. I love their food, but maybe with the owners behavior and attitude towards a changing Los Angeles I just wont go there ever again.

Worst taco i’ve ever had in LA. Went once and never went back. So many better food options on that corridor. I might have considered giving them another shot, but not anymore.

Lynne – SO many people who may have only HEARD of Tito’s Tacos will now ride by and see the place & if they don’t stop by on Sunday will remember seeing it & make a point of stopping by in the future!

I agree with her, she should be able to get some compensation if her receipts are way down from previous Satudays. Im not a biker and really don’t enjoy the streets to be closed because of it.

We had planned to drive up for 25 bean and cheese burritos to freeze and take home to NJ. Guess we’ll do it another day! Don’t want to dodge cyclists.

These studies are ongoing for each CicLAvia, but there has been work done to assess the economic impacts of CicLAvias on local businesses along routes: http://www.lewis.ucla.edu/publication/economic-impacts-of-ciclavia-study-finds-gains-to-local-businesses/

Essentially the best thing to do during a CicLAvia if you are a business, especially a business that provides food, beverage, or retail is to participate and engage with CicLAvia participants: have a special, put an employee outside with samples, staff up and draw people in. Even if you’re a business owner and view the event with displeasure, 100,000 folks going by is definitely a business opportunity.

If I owned a place like Tito’s I would embrace CicLAvia and set up tables and chairs in the parking lot, hire a Mariachi band, and make a party of it.