Effort To Save Iconic PCH Diner Continues For 'Patrick's Roadhouse Angels'

SANTA MONICA, CA — Two weeks after Patrick's Roadhouse shut its doors, a fundraising effort to save the iconic Pacific Coast Highway diner is a quarter of the way to its $250,000 goal.

The kitschy green restaurant, founded in 1973, closed at the end of April as its owner faced trouble paying back rent largely accumulated during the pandemic, according to a post on the diner's Facebook.

Longtime customer Kurt Benjamin launched a fundraising effort with an initial goal of $250,000 — the majority for back rent that will be paid to the landlord, and $50,000 for improvements, Benjamin wrote on Gofundme.

As of Monday, the Gofundme has raised over $63,000.

"Failure is not an option," Benjamin wrote in an update on May 1. He said if the Gofundme falls short of its goal, a group of "Patrick's Roadhouse Angels" — himself included — plan to pony up the capital needed to get the restaurant back up and running.