Skip to Content
Architecture

Pig ‘n Whistle Slayer ‘Mr. Tempo’ Mocks L.A. Preservationists With Taunts (and Farts) In New Video

photo: Brian Donnelly

Back in October, we detailed the concerns of Los Angeles preservationists over the unpermitted destruction of Hollywood’s nearly 100-year-old Pig n’ Whistle restaurant.

At the time, there was still some slight chance of plausible deniability for the building’s new tenant, Jorge “Mr. Tempo” Cueva, despite some of the controversies that followed the expansion of his hospitality empire from L.A. to Ensenada. Maybe he’d realize the errors of his ways, express contrition, and find a way to reverse the damage done.

Two and a half months later and the picture of this restaurateur’s character is becoming more complete. Cueva has released a video essentially mocking anyone who feels offended over his plans to convert the historic restaurant into a cantina called Mr. Tempo.

This week, Cueva posted a video on Instagram showing him ripping the place up by hand. It begins with the words “Remodeling a 100-year-old restaurant,” followed by scenes of the heavily inked entrepreneur finishing his hatchet job, marveling at the original ceiling, and ripping various interiors apart with his own two hands.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Jorge Cueva (@mr.tempo)

Amid this carnage, he drops pointed comments like, “I come to restaurants and I destroy them,” “If I can destroy it, clients can destroy it,” “This building is 100 years old, imagine how it had the ceiling… ,” and “we are like the stomach, everything it touches goes… you can guess.”

At one point, the restaurateur even goes so far as to fart on camera, painting a thousand words about his feelings over a sound effect of passing gas for anyone who sought to preserve this piece of Hollywood history in a city being rapidly changed by transplants.

In a video the next day, in case you hadn’t heard, Cueva reenforces his feelings that he doesn’t give a shit about history. He begins by saying, “This building has exactly 100 years old… I don’t care if it still works or not, it is what we regularly do. We buy a restaurant. I arrive and take everything out.”

Our friends at the preservation-minded tour company Esotouric first brought the video to our attention, noting that Cueva still does not have permits for the project that demolished one of Hollywood Boulevard’s most recognizable facades. A quick glance into the permit applications shows not a single one appears to have been cleared, despite the ongoing devastation to make way for his new nightclub...in the middle of a ravaging pandemic.

Comments on Cueva’s post show even some of his followers shocked over the idea of someone ripping apart a historic restaurant, with one saying, “Next to the Egyptian theater… hope you kept some of its historic interior!” and another stating, “muy triste. Destruyó un edificio histórico de la historia de Hollywood (very sad, he destroyed a building historic to the history of Hollywood.”

Of course, he has his supporters, too. Both in those comments and in ours, with people defending his right to do whatever he wants with the space as its new tenant. This argument conveniently avoids the fact that he has no legal permission to go and destroy the space in the first place. As well as the deeper issue of whether we, as L.A. residents, should have any say in what determines our history and the culture we share with visitors, as well as what we want our streets and city to look like.

Hollywood Boulevard’s very popularity and ability to draw crowds comes down to its connection with the film business that once thrived here. A spirit and story embodied by the likes of The Egyptian, Pig n’ Whistle, The Roosevelt, the Max Factor Building, Frolic Room, and The Pantages. They are literally some of the sole surviving evidence of that history, no matter how many bar flies are collected in its numerous daytime drinking holes and shiny-shirt-magnet nightclubs.

As for what to do about this all, Esotouric has a breakdown on Twitter for anyone concerned with the devastation, starting with filing an online complaint or reporting a code violation with L.A. Building and Safety, and emailing Mitch O’Farrell’s office and City Planning to request they get involved in stopping the illegal destruction at 6714 Hollywood Boulevard.

As for Cueva, he isn’t done with Los Angeles yet. Not by a long shot. In another video, he tells the story of getting his first tattoo of a dolphin, the sun, and the sea at the request of a gringa girlfriend back when he was a commercial diver.

He details how the leg tat made people think he was “gay.” At this point, the video abruptly appears to cut out, before jumping ahead to a later segment in which Cueva shouts out “greetings to all my gay friends,” before going on to say he’s coming for West Hollywood with a destination called “Boy Town.”

We’ll let you know when it comes time to form a human chain around the Troubadour.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

This Crispy Honduran Fried Chicken Is Harvard Heights’ Juiciest Hidden Secret

Tucked away in a strip mall on Western Avenue, this spot serves crispy Honduran fried chicken that’s juicy and bursting with flavor. Served with tajadas and chimol-topped cabbage, it’s a must-try for L.A.'s fried chicken-obsessed.

May 20, 2025

Punk Icon Shawn Stern On the World’s Best Underground Scene (and Surviving Slam Dancing in the Desert)

We caught up with Shawn Stern on the day after Youth Brigade played first show in five years with all three brothers in the lineup again. To get his insights on the how L.A. became—and continues to be—the epicenter of underground punk rock, and practical tips for surviving the chaos and camaraderie of Punk Rock Bowling this weekend in downtown Las Vegas.

May 20, 2025

The Giant Taco Hiding Under The 10 Freeway

This giant rolled taco challenges your preconceived definitions of what a taco is and is not.

The 11 Best Birria Tacos in Los Angeles

From goat to beef to birria de lengua, and even a jackfruit birria, these are the best birria tacos in L.A.

Six Musical Legends You Forgot Are From South L.A.

While the world may be familiar with the South Los Angeles roots of Dr. Dre, Serena Williams, Kendrick, and Flo-Jo, numerous musical legends people forget come from the city's heart. That’s why L.A. TACO is here to remind you of some musical legends from South L.A. 

May 16, 2025

‘Deportation Set Me Free:’ Deported Influencer Is Building Community and Thriving In Mexico

"I view the U.S. as a golden cage with many of our immigrant brothers and sisters trapped inside a system out of fear of the unknown in their home countries," says Anni Garcia, an influencer who has been documenting herself thriving in Jalisco.  

May 16, 2025
See all posts