Skaf’s On York, a popular family-owned Lebanese restaurant in Highland Park, is facing criticism and being accused of gentrifying the neighborhood, after cutting down a decades-old Yew Pine tree outside of their restaurant on York Boulevard.

“Nothing like gentrifiers cutting down trees without permission,” wrote Mando Medina, the founder of the “anti-gentification” Instagram account @Highland_Park_Nela.

In an interview with L.A. TACO, Medina said that he believes that Skaf’s cut the tree down because it blocked their handpainted sign.

“I totally understand why they did it,” the born-and-raised Highland Park local said. “I never knew that business existed until they cut [the tree] down.” 

In a written statement to L.A. TACO, Dan Halden, director of external relations for StreetsLA, confirmed that no permit was requested or issued for the work that happened outside of Skaf’s.

After the tree was cut, a “street tree violation” service request was submitted through 311 on December 12, according to Halden.

“The matter was promptly investigated when it was determined that no permits were obtained and that excessive pruning/destruction of a public right-of-way tree occurred,” Halden wrote in an email. “An administrative citation has been issued in response to this incident.”

Halden said that there is no record of when the Yew Pine was planted, but it is believed to be around a half-century old.

After Medina posted a photo of the decapitated tree on Instagram, Skaf’s On York quickly issued a statement on Instagram apologizing for what happened.

In their explanation, the critically-acclaimed Lebanese restaurant placed most of the blame on the landscaper that they hired.

“A landscaper was hired to perform an extensive trim, but unfortunately the tree was cut back far more than what was agreed upon,” the statement reads. “Once we realized what was happening, the work was stopped immediately.”

Medina described Skaf’s statement as “bullshit.”

“They didn’t stop, they cut the whole damn tree down,” he said.

In an interview with L.A. TACO at Skaf’s On York, Josh Company, Skaf’s general manager, explained that the restaurant was approached by a landscaper who asked if they were interested in trimming the tree outside of their business.

Company said that Skaf's was already considering trimming the tree, so they agreed to having it “trimmed pretty much bare so it can grow back.” 

“We didn’t want it at all cut off,” Company added.

The restaurant was inclined to trim the tree because "spiders" and "rats" had burrowed in it, plus it produced a lot of “residue,” especially when Metro buses drove by and brushed up against the tree canopy, according to Company.

He denied that they cut down the tree to make their sign more visible from the street.

“It was never about the signage at all,” Company asserted. “Otherwise we would have submitted that, like, three years ago, four years ago, when the lease was signed.”

On the morning that the tree was cut down, Company said that someone from the restaurant met the landscaper, but then left, and came back to find the tree chopped down. 

“We weren’t here watching the whole entire thing,” he explained. He attributed the mistake to a possible "misunderstanding" between the restaurant and the landscaper.

Skaf’s On York is currently looking into replanting the tree and/or possibly making annual donations to North East L.A. Trees, a non-profit organization, according to Company.

“We’re very much about the community. That's why it pains us to see this,” Company told L.A. TACO. “It sucks, you know, like having to deal with [the backlash], but we take full responsibility for that.” 

Company says he grew up in Glendale and has known the Skaf family for pretty much his entire life. 

“We're from L.A., born and raised here … It was never about any sort of, you know, gentrification, or anything like that.”

“It pains me, it gutted me to see the reaction [online],” Company said. “It’s a bad situation, and you know, we’re dealing with it as best as we can.” 

Medina told L.A. TACO that he received some flack from other businesses for calling out Skaf’s On York and describing them as “gentrifiers.” The Skaf family opened their first Lebanese restaurant in North Hollywood in the late 90s, before expanding to Glendale in 2007, and Highland Park in 2023. Their food is often referred to as some of the best Middle Eastern food that can be found in Los Angeles.

Medina sees the tree cutting as part of a larger problem of businesses erasing parts of the “old Highland Park” that don’t align with business owner’s interests. He cited the white washing of community murals as another example.

“I’m sure you’re a great family but you guys cut down a tree without permission,” Medina said, suggesting it reflects the owner’s “entitlement.” 

And although the Skaf family has deep roots in northeast Los Angeles, he still sees them as gentrifiers, since they’re “capitalizing” off of a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood.

“If you’re going to profit off our community … it doesn’t matter if you’re Latino, Asian or Black,” he said.

“You’re still a gentrifier.”

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