Update: Alma has passed their $40,000 goal with nearly a month left in their campaign to raise money for legal bills (read all about it below). In the meantime, more information about the lawsuit has emerged, including a detailed report from Buzzfeed News that touches on a tangle of verbal agreements between Ari Taymor, Ashleigh Parsons and their former advisor, Michael Price; allegations of incompetent business dealings (Alma apparently had two leases on the same space); and improper tax filings. Interestingly enough, the report also mentions that Alma has been dropped from the suit, while Taymor and Parsons are still being sued. Still, donations to the Indigogo campaign continue to climb, and it's clear that the LA restaurant community is rallying behind the restaurant.
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Alma has been the darling of Downtown since chef Ari Taymor and Ashleigh Parsons opened the small, 39-seat restaurant three years ago. Both the fine-dining spot and Taymor have won countless accolades—Bon Appetit's Best New Restaurant in America in 2013, Food & Wine's Best New Chef in 2014, to name a few—but not everyone is smitten. This past year, "a former friend and advisor" sued the restaurant for fraud, a claim that Taymor and Parsons deny. To pay the legal fees, Taymor and Parsons have started an Indiegogo campaign to raise $40,000 to keep the restaurant open without relying on outside investment. If the goal isn't reached, Alma may cease to exist.
Donation perks vary—$100 gets you dinner for one at Alma (the tasting menu is normally $110); $250 gets you a tour of Alma's urban garden which, to be honest, seems like a pretty steep price for a garden tour. Lately, restaurants have been using crowdfunding more frequently as a way to start businesses, to keep them open, to expand, and now, apparently, to pay legal fees. Alma doesn't have investors, and in an interview with Grub Street, Taymor says that ensures creative freedom and independence, but it also leaves the restaurant vulnerable. "For us to be able to succeed, the community has to get behind us, and that's where our strength will come from," Taymor told Grub Street. "Otherwise, if that doesn't happen, the restaurant's going to go away." That's a pretty heavy burden for customers to bear.
So far, Alma has raised about $6,000 in about 14 hours. In the meantime, Alma says you can also support the cause by eating at the restaurant, where you can order either a full tasting menu or à la carte items during the week (that more affordable menu returned in late May, Eater reports). As of right now, there are plenty of seats available on Open Table.
What do you think about Alma's Indiegogo campaign? Will you be supporting them? Let us know in the comments below.