History is about to repeat itself on L.A.'s Westside...

and it is just as sad this time as it was the last time.  A landmark deli will be closing its doors in less than a week.

Junior's opened in 1959 on Pico and moved to its current location on Westwood just north of Pico in 1967.  Now the owners of the 11,000 square foot building aren't willing to compromise on a rent increase and so the Saul family is being forced to shut the doors.  For some of the employees of Junior's, it is the only job they've had as adults.  Co-owner David Saul talks about re-opening elsewhere with a more modern "vibe".  That would be nice but the truth is that few eateries are able to re-open elsewhere after closing and departing a location.

When I read about the imminent demise of Junior's my mind immediately turned to the fate of Zucky's deli, which was on the corner of 5th and Wilshire in Santa Monica from 1954 through 1993.  Even though my grandfather owned his own restaurant in the Santa Monica Canyon, during my childhood we spent a lot of time at Zucky's.  The food was expensive, the service only slightly above average and the wait for a table on a Sunday morning was very protracted.  None of that mattered.  We loved Zucky's.  In high school, many a late night's homework was done while accompanied by a bowl of matzoh ball soup.  Or maybe just a cup, depending on how much cash one had.  It closed without warning when the owners had to choose between sinking $500,000 in improvements into the business, or going out of business.  For what it's worth, I've always thought they made the wrong choice.  It took over a decade for anyone to occupy that space and during that time, the area only got busier.  Their investment would have been returned to them.

I'm not as big a fan of Junior's as I was of Zucky's.  But it has a lovely ambience.  The food is also expensive, but the high quality makes it a decent value.  The service is better than at many delis.  I've heard people say they got lousy service there but that wasn't my experience.  I may try to find time to get over there for one last meal before they shut their doors forever.  I will also never set foot in whatever business replaces it, as my form of silent protest against the end of another iconic L.A. eatery.