The spot on Ross Avenue where El Chingón was. Photo by Lillian Juarez.
When El Chingón on Ross Avenue closed earlier this month, the food-and-drink operator blamed the City of Dallas.
An Instagram post detailing the decision to close said there were “repeated code compliance visits, citations and ongoing challenges to our certificate of occupancy and restaurant use.”
“Over time, it became increasingly clear that El Chingón simply was not what the City wanted us to be,” the Instagram post read. “Events, programming, dancing, the way we used our space — nearly every part of the experience became another opportunity to find fault with our identity. We made changes. We worked with City officials. We worked with the neighborhood. We hired consultants and attorneys. We met with elected officials. We repeatedly tried to find a reasonable path forward while continuing to operate the restaurant we spent millions of dollars building. Instead, the scrutiny intensified.”
Code Compliance Services received 69 service requests related to El Chingón between April 9 and Sept. 5. The department issued “two citations related to operations inconsistent with the approved use, one citation for loud disturbing noises and vibrations, and one notice of violation related to the required display of the (certificate of occupancy).” Enforcement actions were not taken for every service request.
“Code Compliance records reflect activity at El Chingón related to noise, land use and Certificate of Occupancy (CO) requirements, including instances in which operations were inconsistent with the approved use and a violation related to the required display of the CO,” the department said in a statement to the Lakewood/East Dallas Advocate, adding that requirements were communicated to El Chingón, and inspections were conducted as appropriate.
In the Instagram post comments, some users were sad to see El Chingón go while others celebrated the closure and said the concept caused issues, particularly with parking and traffic, in the nearby neighborhood.
