The downtown dining scene has seen its fair share of changes in the 21st Century, and Jinky’s Cafe has evolved with shifts every step of the way.
Jinky’s latest set of changes coincide with a new, albeit familiar location. The cafe has taken up the spot previously occupied by The Independence at 205 Broadway, just steps from the 1447 2nd Street spot that opened in 2000. With a five-month break in between the old and new locations, Jinky’s staff had time to reinvigorate its layout and menu ideas.
"It’s been a week now, we just started, and [it] looks like a pretty decent response," Jinky’s Founder and CEO Alankar Verma said. "We were there next door for 24 years, and [we] happened to move here because we got a better location, better deal. This location has a bigger exposure because of the [2nd and Broadway] intersection right there, more visibility, so it helps us a lot, more and more people are coming to know that we reopened back here."
After establishing Jinky’s in Sherman Oaks in 1991, Verma expanded to Santa Monica in 2000 before opening spots in Los Angeles proper, Studio City, West Hills and Camarillo. The Santa Monica spot, he said, is a chance to introduce new concepts to the cafe’s menu, both in food and drink.
To reestablish Jinky’s as a downtown destination, a new dinner menu is soon set to be introduced, prompting later hours for hungry customers. Open from 7:30am to 3pm, the dinner portion of the location will push closing time to 10pm. First seen at the Studio City location, the Jinky’s dinner will "reflect the global flavors" of Los Angeles, with dishes inspired by Southwest, Italian, Californian, French, Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine.
Washing down the dinner will be a brand-new selection of beer and wines, also to be introduced shortly at the cafe. Gaining a beer and wine license at the spot, Verma notes that the cafe will "be doing lots" of mimosa brunches and weekend drink specials.
"[We’re] basically bringing the world and applying it inside the restaurants, and paired with some very good wines," Verma said of the menu plans.
While dinner and alcoholic drinks are still on the way, current customers can catch the classic Jinky’s menu, featuring a host of caffeinated concoctions and a food selection centered on egg-based breakfast dishes and saliva-inducing sandwiches.
Making eggs its "niche," along with its well-known chili flavors, is an adaptation in the current dining landscape. Verma stated that a "generation change" happens every 10 years in the culinary world, with the current shift based on a more concentrated, specialty-based menu brought on by the individualization of chefs.
"The internet opened up [since] 2000, then came Instagram [and] all the chefs showing their culinary expertise on social media," Verma said. "A lot of people who were not going into all these restaurants started going and finding nooks and corners, started to find specialty things … this just elevated the game so much."
Jinky’s impact on the downtown economy doesn’t end at the front door, as the cafe has teamed with the adjacent Hotel Carmel to provide room service and discounts for guests. Bringing hotel travelers and downtown onlookers into the customer pool are just some of the perks of what Verma calls "visibility."
"The visibility here will obviously make more people aware that we’re open, they know us, they know the food, now it is [time] to point out the presentation of the food, the quality of the food, the dinners, the beer and wine that’s going to uplift the whole menu and the concept to a high [point]."
To view the full Jinky’s menu and to contact the cafe, visit jinkys.com.
thomas@smdp.com
