CULVER CITY, Calif. — Culver City’s highly anticipated food hall will open Wednesday with just three vendors, as Los Angeles County officials consider a curfew that would further restrict dining. The developer behind Citizen Public Market scrapped plans for a big opening, and instead will slowly add restaurants as it solidifies social distancing practices and finds its footing.

“We’re going to be very, very careful about this. We want people to be able to really enjoy this historic landmark and enjoy the best food in the region with these vendors we brought in,” said developer Rick Moses

What You Need To Know

  • Citizen Public Market will open on Wednesday in Culver City
  • The market plans to add restaurants slowly as it solidifies social distancing practices and finds its footing

  • The first three vendors include goodboybob, Pizzette, and The WEHO Sausage Co.

The first three vendors include goodboybob, Pizzette, and The WEHO Sausage Co.

Moses is obsessed with details like 130-year-old French Oak floors and handcrafted marble from a 13th century quarry, but 2020 has a way with meddling with your plans.

“You can’t always predict when you begin a project what’s going to happen when you finally open it,” Moses said as he looked over outdoor seating plans at his latest venture.

On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom said the state is pushing the “emergency brake” on businesses after daily Covid-19 case numbers doubled over the previous ten days. All Southern California counties are now back in the most restrictive purple tier; a zone Los Angeles County had never advanced from. Newsom confirmed he’s considering a statewide curfew that could further limit outdoor dining operations by restricting restaurant hours throughout the state.

“Yes, of course we’re very concerned about it and if the rules change we will change how we operate,” Moses said.

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The landmark building used to house Culver City’s first newspaper, “The Citizen.” Moses spent the last four years obsessing over details to renovate the historic interior into Citizen Public Market, a culinary destination in bustling downtown Culver City.

He had no idea once he finally opened, restaurant dining would be, well, out the window.

“Darwin did not say survival of the strongest. He said survival of the most adaptable and that’s what we have to be,” Moses said.