DOWNEY — Is Ojos Locos still coming to Downey?

As construction on the former Denny’s site – located at 8350 Firestone Blvd. - progresses, city planning staff have said that Ojos Locos is still believed to be the future tenant.

No opening date has been publicly revealed.

However, Mayor Claudia M. Frometa has said that she hopes to coordinate a meeting between both parties in order to find a compromise.

“Regarding Ojos Locos, the site owner is still moving forward with the plans as approved,” said Frometa. “However, given the owner has other restaurants as part of his portfolio of eateries, I have directed staff to reach out and schedule a meeting between all of us.

“While I value businesses and business investments in our great city, I do not believe Ojos Locos belongs in Downey. There isn’t a week I don’t hear from concerned families and parents about their opposition to this restaurant opening in our city.

As the Mayor, I am advocating for my residents and hope to persuade the restaurateur to bring a different type of restaurant to our community, one that we can all embrace and welcome wholeheartedly.”

The restaurant’s initial announcement was met with fierce opposition by resident and council members alike, especially over the scantily-clad waitresses and apparent safety concerns.

At a city council meeting back in March last year, Mayor Pro Tem Mario Trujillo said that Ojos Locos “should take their tax dollars elsewhere.” He would later indicate that he planned to rally constituents to send the message that the restaurant was not welcome in Downey.

Ojos Locos would push back on many of residents’ concerns, claiming that the risqué lingerie seen across other locations’ social media pages were for “special events” only, and was not what was intended for the new Downey site.

Regardless, the city moved to take action against the attire, approving an ordinance establishing a dress code for food handler’s city wide.

However, it remains to be seen what more the city could legally do, as officials have insisted that they cannot pick and choose what businesses set up shop within city limits.

Ojos Locos Sports Cantina is a chain restaurant with 21 locations across Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.