Local business owners are reeling after a stunning development in a very exclusive neighborhood.
Jack's La Jolla occupied three floors on Girard Avenue near Wall Street, and was home to the Wall Street Bar, Jack's Wine Bar, the Ocean Room Bar, Level 3 and the Viaggio, Ocean Room and Jack's Grille restaurants.
The business's 120 employees found out Thursday that they were out of work, owner Bill Berkley told the San Diego Union-Tribune. All 17,000 square feet of the establishment were quiet on Friday, when NBC was given a peek inside.
The paper also reported that a state tax lien of $280,000 was filed earlier this year against the business and Wellington Inc., its parent company.
Jack's quickly became a La Jolla destination for the young, hot and monied set when Berkley took over four years ago. Business owners were upset to hear the news.
"It's kind of sad, because I know people around here consider it a landmark in the neighborhood, and to think of the affluent society, or the affluent neighborhood like La Jolla having someone have to close down -- it's just a sad commentary on the state of our economy right now and sad to see it go," said Steve Hovsepian, a La Jolla business owner.
Not everybody was a fan, though, with some complaining about the occasionally loud late-night crowds.
