Clifton’s to reopen under Sanctuary with immersive venue plan

By Tom Whitfield

Clifton’s, a 1935 downtown Los Angeles landmark, will reopen its dining operation Nov. 19 after an 18-month closure. New operators Neil Biondich and Alex McCullough are expanding the five-story venue under the working name Sanctuary.

The building already operates Thursday through Sunday, though many people remain unaware, after years of post-pandemic starts and stops. The operators’ Nov. 19 plan brings back the diner with nostalgic and new menu items.

Clifton’s dates to 1935 and was designed as a Depression-era oasis resembling a woodsy Northern California lodge. Its second-story ballroom once hosted swing dancing; its basement, main room and lavish tiki bar now support a wider program.

What returns on Nov. 19?

The operators are testing formats across all five stories of forest-themed kitsch:

• Magic shows in a “mystical basement.”
• Karaoke in a lavish tiki bar.
• Live immersive theater parties in the main room.
• A Halloween “The Dark Weekend” program.

Within “The Dark Weekend,” “The Dark Wedding” placed cast members among costumed and formally dressed guests. A skull-headed demon lord named Modantus courted a woman, while a masked figure announced, “I’m collecting fears,” and a singer performed a Gothic rendition of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun.”

A “Dungeons & Dragons” social club and a “Super Smash Bros.” tournament have also targeted the geek community. The immediate return is limited: Thursday-to-Sunday hours and event-led traffic before the 2027 restaurant expansion.

Who controls the Clifton’s name?

Biondich and McCullough do not have access to the Clifton’s name. They use Sanctuary, run events and ticketing through Sanctuarydtla.com, and leave the official Clifton’s website and social feeds showing paused programming.

Former owner Andrew Meieran recently sold the building to real estate investment firm Robhana Group but retained the name and intellectual property. Meieran has not ruled out reviving the brand elsewhere. He bought the Broadway property in 2010 and invested more than $14 million in renovations, including the detailed tiki bar and vintage speedboat.

Meieran said he kept the brand because Clifton’s is a rare, only-in-California business and because running a large downtown nightlife company has proved difficult.

“It’s not a restaurant,” Meieran said. “It’s not a bar. It’s not a theme park.” He described the challenge of serving cafeteria patrons, nightlife guests, tourists and families at once.

Biondich and Meieran have spoken cautiously about each other. Their discussions have not produced an agreement, although each wants a Clifton’s revival.

After initially declining to comment on the talks, Meieran emailed: “Clifton’s has never been just a building — it’s a concept that’s endured more than ninety years of upheaval: the Depression, a world war, riots, a pandemic, and a city whose people and tastes have changed many times over.”

He continued: “We’re working with the building’s owners to put a foundation in place that allows Clifton’s to thrive for another ninety years, bringing Clifton’s special brand of magic to Broadway for generations to come.”

Meieran’s ownership of the name and Biondich’s control of operations leave the brand unresolved.

How will the immersive model work?

An entrepreneur who has worked in 3D animation and directed commercials, Biondich said: “We’re not looking to radically change what this place looks and feels like. It should feel just like coming to Clifton’s. There just happens to be some decor that takes you deeper into an urban fantasy.”

He and McCullough plan a live-action role-playing game to run daily, using the venue’s taxidermied bear, bartop meteorite and other oddities. Biondich described it as something between “Dungeons & Dragons” and “Pokémon Go.”

Biondich is also developing an augmented-reality app that places monsters around the property. Players will eventually use glasses, called a “dimensional tuner,” to tune higher or lower frequencies for fae, undead or demons in neighboring dimensions. The game will reward players with discounts on food or drinks.

The operating model shifts after dark. Biondich wants the building to serve as a restaurant by day and early evening, then “wake up” at night with actors in monster garb in its core bars.

The food expansion has two stages:

• A first restaurant targeted for early 2027.
• A second, more upscale restaurant planned for late 2027.
• Comedy, magic and karaoke continuing alongside both concepts.

The two restaurants also answer longtime patrons who want Clifton’s to remain a casual hangout. The operators have hired a chef, and Clifton’s currently serves a limited menu that includes a burger and fish tacos on open days.

Biondich, a Northridge resident, said the lower-level restaurant will honor the venue’s legacy, including a Jell-O dish, while serving longtime fans and downtown residents. Meow Wolf, the art collective turned experiential firm, is his model for Sanctuary’s more linear, game-inspired social narrative.

“Our goal is to make this an international destination,” Biondich said. “If you’re going to Los Angeles, you’re going to check out Clifton’s for Sanctuary, in a similar way one would go to a Meow Wolf.”

The concept expands in stages: events first, dining in 2027, then a daily game and augmented-reality layer.

Can downtown support the comeback?

Downtown has struggled since the end of the pandemic. Many office workers have not returned, and a significant number of businesses have left, weakening a once-robust community. Cole’s is set to reopen in coming weeks, and Original Pantry will also return.

“Everybody who works and lives down here loves downtown,” Biondich said. He credited residents’ passion for bringing the area back and making it more welcoming.

If Sanctuary turns the Nov. 19 relaunch into repeat downtown traffic, the 2027 restaurants and daily game could give the 1935 landmark a stable operating model. The unresolved name arrangement still separates the building’s operations from the Clifton’s brand.