Lingua Franca

Back in 2016, after being open down the street at Wax Paper for only a short six months, we were approached by our now wonderful landlord, Ron Gonen, to take on a space attached to some new live/work spaces that were being built, called "The Bend." We were reluctant to take the project on, as we were new business owners, and we had our hands full running our tiny busy shop as just the two of us: Peter & Lauren. Ron believed in us, and we knew this was an opportunity we could not pass up. Thus began, Lingua Franca. 

We had conceptualized Lingua Franca concurrently when we were dreaming up Wax Paper, and this space strongly spoke to us as it's must-be home. The ideas starting blooming, and we have been developing the concept ever since. We took the next big step a year later by signing a lease. The just under 1,000sqft space is an existing building from the 1920s. With the grace, patience, and help from Ron and his wonderful team, we began the process of permitting and creating, with Ron graciously building out the core and shell to give us a kick start to a giant step closer. 

We were slated to open this year, with all permits being approved to build out, and even achieving our beer and wine license which took almost a year and half.  We were in the process of raising capital when COVID-19 hit the world and our industry like a ton of bricks. We realized this dream was taking large steps back...How would we "sell" a project to investors that we were not even sure could ever come to fruition with our own Wax Paper being at risk of closure?

About Us:

Peter & Lauren Lemos are restaurant vets, with a combined experience of almost over 30 years, working every position of the front and back of house of restaurants.  We met and fell in love back in 2012, and decided to take our shared knowledge of food and hospitality and open our first business: Wax Paper. We worked multiple jobs, saved, signed a lease, and even permitted the entire project on our own: No investors, no expeditors.  The odds were against us, but we had a clear vision of our dream, and we kept driving forward, taking risks and staying focused. We were working HARD. We went to the health and building departments multiple times weekly for almost a year before we finally opened our doors in December of 2015. The response we received from our neighbors and friends was overwhelming, and we are now in our fifth year of business with another location in Chinatown, opened in 2018.  We still believe that Lingua Franca can come alive, but we need your help. 

About Lingua Franca: 

Lingua Franca means "The common language," and in our case, that common language being: Good food for good people. The space sits on the Los Angeles River walking and bike path, neighboring homes and industrial businesses.  Our customers are everyone; Neighbors, people working in the neighborhood, and our great customers at Wax Paper who come from near and far. The food is that of comfort, taking ingredients and produce from our very own home and backyards of California. Our climate allows us to grow some of the most beautiful food, with many local farms, markets, and vendors.  It will be a place of community, and we hope to have folks in and out of our industry gather to dine and connect.  It will serve three meals a day, seven days a week, operating between the hours of 8:00am and 10:00pm, 11:00pm on the weekends. We will continue to operate as great neighbors and owners, like we do at Wax Paper.  We want to give the diner an experience that gives them the feeling of eating at home, away from their dining room table.  We have already teamed up on ideas with some local favorites and dear friends at places such as The Jungalow, Suay Sew Shop, Mt. Washington Pottery, Brendan Ravenhill Studios, Entler Studios, Bub & Grandma's Bread, and the list goes on.  We plan to have happy hours and neighborhood nights, enforcing our plan to make this a place for the people! Most importantly, we wish to employ passionate and hard working people like our wonderful team at Wax Paper, and provide them with livable wages and benefits as we currently do. 

Right now we need your help if you can give. We need to raise $50,000 to put a down payment on our interior build-out once it is safe to get started again.  The time is ticking, and the bills are piling up.  We cannot stress enough that anything helps.  We have to make true on this dream, and we cannot think of a better way than to include our incredibly supportive circle of family and friends, industry colleagues, neighbors, and customers.  

What's in it for you?

We promise to take your generous and heartfelt donations and turn them into kitchen and dining room equipment, flatware, interior design, and a beautiful space for you to come and relax. We are not sure what we can give back right this second, but if you donate, we will not forget that, and we promise to make it right for you in some way that's fun; Maybe a bottle of wine on us, your name on our bar, or something creative that lets you know we are thankful for your help in this difficult and uncertain time. 

We will continue to update you, and come up with ways to make this fun, so that you feel good spending your money with us and paying it forward. Our only ask is give if you can, but don't if you cannot.  

We thank you and we love you. Sincerely, 
Lauren & Peter Lemos, Lingua Franca