Leonard Cohen: La Esquina, Free Parking & the Future of Downtown SLO | Up+Adam

About this episode

Adam Montiel interviews Leonard Cohen about his experiences in the restaurant industry and the impact of downtown parking issues on local businesses.

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking Downtown San Luis Obispo has its characters. Its storytellers. Its lifers. And then there’s Leonard Cohen. On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with the longtime restaurateur behind La Esquina Taqueria , Cioppino’s, and the legendary Old Port Inn for one of those conversations that only happens when two people genuinely love where they live. This episode starts with tacos and free parking… then spirals beautifully into the history of Port San Luis, the psychology of hospitality, modern tipping culture, World War II storytelling, hidden Central Coast history, and the surprisingly emotional origin story behind those iconic glass tables over the water at Old Port Inn. Leonard opens up about the brutal impact downtown parking issues had on local businesses over the last few years and why he decided to offer free parking at La Esquina to help bring people back downtown. He also talks about the upcoming release of his new memoir and recipe collection, By The Glass, which blends family stories, restaurant history, recipes, local lore, and the experiences that shaped his life as a businessman, father…

People in this episode

Host: Adam Montiel

Guest: Leonard Cohen

Topics covered

• downtown San Luis Obispo
• hospitality
• tipping culture
• local history
• restaurant industry

Keywords

• Leonard Cohen
• hospitality
• tipping culture
• San Luis Obispo
• restaurant history
• free parking
• memoir

Sponsors

The Mountain Air, Benny’s Pizza

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: La Esquina Taqueria, Cioppino’s, Old Port Inn

Books & works: By The Glass

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