Wednesday, September 28, 2011
By Leslie Turk
How much La Fonda tradition will follow Gabe Bako?
Gabe Bako
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
By Leslie Turk
How much La Fonda tradition will follow Gabe Bako?
Within a year of being booted from La Fonda - where he worked for 43 years - Gabe Bako will be back greeting customers. But he won't be marking those tan waiting cards the Tex-Mex institution at 3809 Johnston St. is famous for; he'll be welcoming customers old and new a half mile down the busy thoroughfare in the former location of Serranos Salsa Co.
Bako, who at press time still owned 50 percent of La Fonda - sharing ownership with the children of late founder Leebob Cox - has been hard at work on his new Mexican eatery, Bako's.
"I've gotten over it. I'm a big boy," says Bako. "I just want closure."
Court records show that Leebob's children, Sherwood Cox and Stephanie Cox Gagnard, and Bako are also board members of La Fonda. At some point in early 2011, Sherwood and Stephanie fired Bako as general manager.
Stephanie is now running the 53-year-old restaurant.
Bako's should be open by November.
Read more on the legal battle and Gabe Bako's new venture in ABiz's sister publication The Independent Weekly.