Wolfgang Puck's JAI Restaurant Closes In San Diego

Theatre-goers and UC San Diego students won't be able to eat at JAI by Wolfgang Puck anymore. The restaurant, which was located in the La Jolla Playhouse, a nonprofit professional theatre on the UC San Diego campus, is now closed.

The playhouse, which is renowned as a testing ground for many Broadway-bound shows, is currently seeking a restaurant partner to replace JAI in the fall, according to their website. In the meantime, UC San Diego Hospitality Services are using the space to serve coffee and food to customers. Their La Jolla Playhouse Coffee Bar features coffees, sandwiches, salads, and desserts, and their La Jolla Playhouse Restaurant serves hot dishes like ponzu and gingered salmon.

JAI, which served upscale Asian fusion dishes, is no longer open because of the seasonal nature of restaurant traffic, U-T San Diego reported. People ate at JAI whenever the Playhouse was open, but the inconsistent theatre schedule limited the restaurant's schedule as well.

"Looking at how our business is laid out in the Playhouse and also in the surrounding San Diego area, it was part of an overall business strategy decision to leave the Playhouse," Pamela Brunson, Wolfgang Puck Catering's vice president of marketing, told U-T San Diego.

We wonder if another famous chef will open a restaurant in the now empty space, but it seems like the Playhouse's erratic schedule could be a deal breaker.