Exclusive | West Hollywood Dialog Cafe owners give timeline for reopening after water main disaster

The owners of West Hollywood’s Dialog Cafe have vowed “we’ll be back,” though it could take months, after their influencer hotspot was flooded by the Sunset Strip water main break.

Millions of gallons of water swept across Sunset Boulevard and the surrounding area on Thursday morning when a century-old water main sensationally burst, sending raging torrents smashing into businesses and homes. 

The hipster hangout on Holloway Drive has been run for 18 years by Tadeh “Todd” Ghazalian, 36, and his brother Nareh, 45. 

“We’re just trying to get back on our feet – it’s a crazy situation,” Todd told the California Post as workers sifted through the damage, which included  a $30,000 espresso machine from Florence, Italy, that was submerged in the deluge. 

He described the recovery as “challenging,” adding that the siblings are not sure of how much the final cost of damage will be. “It will be a lot,” he added. 

“We’re going through it one day at a time. We’re trying to see the extent of the damage and what our next step is.”

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Some of his 90-plus staff were also on hand offering to help at 4:30 a.m. as raging waters washed through the business. 

As of Friday afternoon, a GoFundMe account had raised $20,000 toward the $500,000 goal to help get the business, steps from Sunset Strip, back on its feet. 

Todd recalled the heart-stopping moment he surveyed the damage to his business. “Seeing the busiest street in West Hollywood closed is crazy,” he said.

“The second I walked in I saw the patio was full of sand and there was water, I walked inside and there was water everywhere. It was crazy to see it all.”

“The number one thing is to take care of staff,” said Todd. “Our team has been loyal to us. We’ve had people working for us for 10 years. We want to make sure we’re there for everybody though this tough time.”

The brothers are considering having a local pop-up location in a neighboring space. 

“We’re looking at options now,” explained Todd. 

He gave a big shout out to customers who have reached out to him with their support and praised the warm community spirit. “We have a lot of neighbors and we’re a part of a lot of people’s every day routines,” he added.

He urged authorities to be more focused on “building up” infrastructure in future so similar disasters are not repeated. The burst pipe was a “perfect example” of what can happen when not enough attention is paid to maintaining public utilities.

Todd said the cafe will eventually open its doors again in a few months.

“Don’t worry,” he proclaimed. “We love what we do. Dialog is going to be back and we’re going to be doing it really, really well. 

“We’re excited to come back strong.”