The City dismantled the Les Amis patio in the morning on October 27.

We’ve lived here in Fullerton, my husband and I, for about thirty years. We count ourselves fortunate to have traveled the world and the country. Some of our favorite road trips have been through the South and up the East Coast.

We love happening upon a little out-of-the-way town as we’ve meandered off the beaten path. Sometimes, when we’ve hit upon some quaint restaurant in an equally quaint town, we’ll remark to each other what a cool little town it is, and wouldn’t it be neat to live here?

Often when we’re out in downtown Fullerton, we remark that this is a little town that we’d want to live in if we happened across it on our travels.

And we’re not the only ones who feel like this about Fullerton. We have friends who regularly come to Fullerton from Garden Grove and Rowland Heights.

The Les Amis patio before the removal.

Last Saturday night, October 25, we ran into friends from Lake Elsinore. They were visiting, just walking around seeing the sights and heard some music. They followed it a short distance and found it on the Les Amis patio.

It was the most beautiful scene. The owner of Les Amis has created an enchanted spot just outside her restaurant that delights the soul. The band played, the audience clapped, and felt joyful.

“Hallelujah” was one of the last numbers that night. The city of Fullerton tore down the patio on Monday.
I don’t think Les Amis will suffer in its business because it offers excellent food and ambiance. It’s a feast for all the senses. But I have a question for the council.

Here’s the backstory of my question.

When I first moved to Fullerton, the storefronts were mostly antique stores and pawn shops. While not a depressed or dismal downtown area, it was not a happening place, nor was it a cool vibe or a vibrant scene.

We had one or two spots that offered live music. Steamers was that most notable place, alive with jazz every night of the week. It was the heartbeat of the town for thirty years, a good run! When Steamers finally closed its doors, a few of the restaurants downtown tried to pick up the slack to provide live music to the residents.

• Why did they do this?
• Does live music bring in more than it costs the owner?
• Does the owner break even when employing live musicians?

I don’t know the answer to these questions, but whatever the answer is monetarily, but I suspect that a restaurateur wants to create beauty. They have a vision for a spot, a space where the diner can relax, escape the busy hustle, enjoy a sustaining or a festive meal while resting their eyes on the particular whimsy the restaurant owner has created for them.

Live music has always been something coveted and desired by owners and consumers alike. We settle for the piped music. Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra, to name a couple, are some of the best substitutes businesses can find for live music. But recordings of even the greats don’t come close to the aliveness of live music.

I don’t pause in my eating to pay special attention to Bobby Darrin crooning over the sound system, but I often do to listen to a piano solo by Ron Kobayashi or the trombone of Martha Catlin of the Dixiedelics. I don’t nod to diners at a neighboring table as we all delight in a drum solo.

I don’t care how good the beat is in a song played on the sound system, the diners don’t all join together to clap to the rhythm. Yet, we, customers in a live music setting, do all these things together. Separate parties join together in joy and community because of a live performer.

Thank you to Les Amis, to Bourbon Street, to Night Owl and others for creating space for live music, for endowing your customers with something extra that fills the soul as well as the stomach, and for employing musicians.

So, here are my questions.
1. Why do some members of our city council want to take away live music from our city?
2. What does taking away a patio that was one of the loveliest spaces in Fullerton do for Fullerton? The owners of Les Amis extended beauty to a very ample sidewalk. It was just a feast for the eyes, even for those just passing by.
3. Why does this city council interfere with business and rob the residents of something special?
4. What is accomplished by it?
5. What is gained by taking something away?
6. What is the reason?
They hold closed meetings and don’t acknowledge public opinion.
7. For what purpose?

We need to carefully consider what we want our city to be: a mere stacking of buildings or a vibrant community that inspires residents and visitors.

This is tentatively on the agenda for the City Council on December 2, 2025.

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