Jacopo’s Closes after 25 Years in Pacific Palisades

Jacopo’s, a pizzeria located at 15415 Sunset Blvd. since 1985, closed without warning Sunday night after the Super Bowl.   ’We’ve turned off the oven, but I wish we could have stayed,’ owner Barry Fogel told the Palisadian-Post. ‘The main thing is I want people to know that we’re sorry that we’re gone and that we’re going to miss them.’   The popular family eatery, which featured, pizza, pasta and salads, was a place people gathered for birthday parties and end-of-season baseball and AYSO celebrations. Many Pacific Palisades residents who had been customers as children were now introducing their own kids to the restaurant.   Jacopo’s was also a popular location for take-out, with about 50 percent of the orders made to go. Customers actually ate more pasta and salads than pizza, said Fogel, who estimated that pizza accounted for about 35 percent of the revenue.   As he spoke to the Post on Tuesday, Fogel was at the Sunset restaurant disassembling equipment, which he says he’ll probably store in his garage. ‘It’s awful,’ he said. ‘It was one of the hardest decisions of my life.’   Like many Pacific Palisades establishments, Jacopo’s has not been profitable since the economy took a downturn.   ’People are definitely cutting back on spending,’ Fogel said, noting that expenses have increased because of the hike in minimum wage and the cost of ingredients. He said he refused to cut corners with cheaper ingredients to save money.   In addition to the economy, Fogel noted that he had reached an impasse in lease negotiations with his landlord, the Topa Management Company.   ’They wouldn’t work with us anymore,’ Fogel said. ‘I had no option. I tried until a week ago. I was working on a past-due balance. I even went to court, but basically they just wanted a new tenant.’   ’There were irreconcilable differences between the landlord and the owner,’ said Larry Hait, attorney for Topa. ‘The owner has agreed to give up possession of the premises to the landlord.’   Jacopo’s employees were unaware the restaurant was closing until Fogel made the announcement Sunday night. Most of his staff, including head chef Pedro Aispuro, who has been with Jacopo’s for 35 years, will transfer to Fogel’s sole remaining restaurant in Beverly Hills.   Fogel, who has a 14-year-old son Max, and a 10-year-old daughter Lily, said, ‘It was an honor to serve the people in Pacific Palisades. We’re going to miss them very much.’