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JAMM AQUINO / 2016
Bartenders Nicole Jones, left, and Rachel Vezan prepare to mix cocktails during happy hour at Downbeat Diner & Lounge.
Chinatown’s Downbeat Diner & Lounge is up for sale.
Founder Serena Hashimoto is looking for buyers for the restaurant and music venue, which has nightly entertainment by up-and-coming artists.
She retired this summer and gave the business to her daughter, Isabella, who she says no longer wants to be in the food-service industry. Hashimoto said there are three to four potential buyers, some who want to keep the concept and some who don’t.
“I’m hoping to turn it over to someone who wants to keep it Downbeat, which opened on Jan. 1, 2011,” she said. “It’s important to have that size of venue for the musical community. We have all sorts of musical acts but in particular younger bands … that are just starting out. It’s also good for big acts who want to have a more intimate show.”
The lounge has hosted “hundreds of acts,” mostly local, over the past nine years. Once in awhile, the business features traveling musicians and occasionally brings in entertainers from the mainland.
The diner seats 50 and the lounge holds around 100 people. The restaurant menu includes popular vegan dishes and milkshakes.
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