Mezcalero, a DTLA tequila and mezcal-focused bar co-owned by Jay Krymis, abruptly closed in early March after Krymis and his partners struggled for months to pay his workers and vendors on time, according to multiple former employees of the downtown location who spoke to L.A. TACO.
Issues with getting paid extended to Krymis’ other ventures, which include a Downtown Long Beach Mezcalero location above sister restaurant Padre, according to eight current and former employees, as well as Schmitty’s in West Hollywood.
“We would have to hit him (or managers) up constantly to get paid,” a former bartender at Mezcalero DTLA told L.A. TACO during an interview last month. The bartender requested anonymity because they were still owed hundreds of dollars in back pay. “We would often get told ‘I got you' or ‘tomorrow’ and then wait weeks to the point that ‘tomorrow’ became a sad joke amongst the entire staff.”
The bartender said that in addition to not paying staff on time, Mezcalero had back bills with “most” of their vendors. “We wouldn’t be able to get produce or liquor for either the kitchen or the bar and would have to scramble to keep things running on whatever we had,” the bartender alleged.
“Strangely, towards the end, they did a remodel and redid the look of the place,” the bartender said.