Look What Just Popped Up: Café 53 In Old Pasadena

You’ve heard of “Occupy” but you’ve probably never heard of the concept of “occupying” a restaurant – or rather having a restaurant just “pop up” unexpected in the neighborhood. That’s the idea behind James Farr’s new chain of “pop-up restaurants” in Pasadena, starting with Cafe 53, which will “pop up”, exist for a while, and then move on…

“We don’t plan to be there forever,” says James, who comes from a marketing and hospitality background and has teamed up with local hotspot Perry’s Joint to deliver the concept. “We have a strategy with all of the vacancies and restaurants in the area that we want to basically ‘occupy’. It’s not in the ‘Occupy’ sense but we’re occupying restaurants and doing small service, small parties, things of that nature. And then we’ll close and we’ll move and change the menu and do something else somewhere else.”

It sounds wonderfully unique, but surely it’s also a huge amount of work – opening a place up, closing it down again, moving locations.

“The difference is we’re not looking at building out a restaurant,” James explains.

“It’s similar to the food truck phenomenon. We’re inviting some food trucks because their thing is great food for $10. But now the food truck can have a plated dining experience for their followers, still for ten bucks. You can bring your wine… It’s making use of existing space, generating revenue for the city and the tax base. It’s people coming into the area, still parking, still shopping.

“Chris Holden [Pasadena City Council] came by yesterday and I explained it to him and he said, ‘That sounds entrepreneurial right there’. I said ‘Well, it’s a little more want-repreneurial!’”

A kind of moveable feast, then?

James goes on: “It was borne out of – are you familiar with Perry’s Joint in northwest? Perry is a closet foodie so we said let’s do a twist. So that’s how he created this menu. Based on his existing customer base, we’re targeting the folks at Westcom, AT&T, all the different businesses who already know and are familiar with the brand. The first place we’re at, which is the old Dish Restaurant, kind of has that Rat-Pack feel, we’ll offer afternoon lunch, fresh food, and you can get in and out of there for under ten bucks!”

Cafe 53 – will serve up a delicious range of sandwiches along with fruit and potato salads, fries, black beans, and a choice of beverages.

There’s even a good cause to support. “We’ve partnered with Five Acres for some of the staff we use,” James explains. “So we’re giving disadvantaged kids some work experience and it’s a win-win.”

But if there’s a “pop-up”, surely there must be a “pop-down”. When does the restaurant move on?

“We may go for a couple of weeks – right now I’m looking at the next location,” says James. “We’re just taking Perry’s experience as a restaurant owner, my marketing and hospitality experience… And we’re saying, hey, caution to the wind. If we don’t do something, we’ll get nothing!”

Café 53 is located at 53 Union Street in Old Pasadena. They are open for lunch only from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. For more information call (626) 789-4700.