The sign for Traxx restaurant in Union Station. (Hayes Davenport / L.A. Material)
TRAXX RESTAURANT IS BEST KNOWN for being the only sit-down dining option in L.A.’s historic Union Station. Located near its companion Traxx Bar at the bottom of the clock tower, the restaurant opened in 1997 as a fine dining concept, helmed by the late Chef Tara Thomas. In 2019, when Thomas was ready to move on from the project, Kristin Jensen and partner Chris Nordstrom (a former employee of Thomas’) were handed the keys to both the restaurant and bar.
“We had to pivot from the more ‘fine dining’ Traxx post-COVID as that crowd began working from home… to a scratch-made comfort food concept to engage with the entire crowd of Union Station,” Jensen says.
The clientele at Traxx is a mix of local commuters, politicians, tourists, business people, and sports fans. According to Jensen, 80 percent of daily business is drop-ins.
“The main issue is signage. Union Station doesn’t allow signage throughout the station to let guests know there is a full service restaurant just past the food court,” she says. “So getting people to know where we are is a big problem. But somehow we make it work!”
Jensen filled out the L.A. Material Receipts Questionnaire for the whole Traxx operation (the restaurant and bar share staff and a kitchen). Answers have been condensed very slightly for space and clarity.
Name of Restaurant
Traxx
Neighborhood
Downtown Los Angeles
Opening Date
Purchased Traxx from original owner September 2019.
Operating Hours
11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Style of Service
Traxx Restaurant has sit down/table service. The bar across the hall has counter service.
# of Employees
Ten. About 60 percent front of house and 40 percent back of house. We pay more hourly to back of house, but with taxes on tips and payroll taxes it ends up around 60/40.
Typical Covers (Guests) Per Night
150
Least Profitable Item on Menu
Our Pesto Pasta is probably the least profitable due to the amount of ingredients and prep involved. Labor definitely contributes to the high costs in a dish.
Most Profitable Item on Menu
Chopped salad
Most Popular Item on Menu
Burger
Slowest Night of the Week
Sunday
Busiest Night of the Week
Thursday
For decades Traxx Bar has always kind of been the “Cheers” of Los Angeles. With city officials, celebrities, artists, travelers and locals… all walks of life really. Due to its location most bar guests are solo, but they always end up making friends with the person sitting next to them.
Traxx Bar in Union Station (Hayes Davenport/L.A. Material)
It’s something very unique and something neither of us have seen in other bars across the city. It’s such a low key environment due to it being in the train station, that most people have their guard down, nobody is there to impress anyone else, and everyone has a pretty good time. Traxx Bar offers the same food menu as the restaurant, in a more casual atmosphere.
Tipping Structure
Tips go to each individual server/not a house pool.
Annual Overhead Costs
(What percentage of your revenue goes to the following categories?)
Rent: 15 percent.
Payroll: 30 percent.
Food Cost: 25 percent.
Bev Cost: 15 percent.
Insurance: 2 percent.
Subscriptions (Resy, Squarespace, POS, etc): 1 percent
Repairs and Maintenance: 3 percent. Maintenance here is a lot due to the age of the building and its historic nature.
Back-of-house Supplies (kitchen supplies, cleaning supplies, etc): 1 percent
Front-of-house Supplies (to-go containers, candles, decor, etc): 1 percent
Credit Card Processing Fees: [We pay] 3 percent on all transactions. It’s such a big deal, with no way to negotiate with the companies. I believe there is legislation being proposed to offer competition in this but as of now we’re all stuck with it.
Net Annual Profit
Not enough lol… about 7 percent.
Do you deliver? If so, what systems do you use?
Yes, through Uber Eats.
What did your raising process look like upon opening? Did you take on investment or loans?
Personal income and loans.
What’s a creative idea that’s worked for you financially?
We offer happy hour cocktails for $12, wines by the glass for $9 and beers for $7. Our cocktails are house infusions with the most popular being the “Ghost Pepper Margarita.” We infuse tequila with ghost peppers, add a little Mezcal, fresh lime juice, curaçao and a tajin rim. We made it blue for Dodgers season once and the blue just stuck.
Happy Hour is popular because the local commuters getting off of work have a place to stop in before heading home for the night, and the free shuttles heading to Dodger Stadium for every home game hits during Happy Hour… so the fans get to enjoy some low priced drinks before heading to the game and paying $18 a beer.
We’re one of the most OG Dodger bars due to this. The fans have such a great time together and we enjoy having such a kind and funny crowd. The Dodger fans are the best!
Vanessa Anderson is a writer, culinary anthropologist, and the voice behind Grocery Goblin, a project that examines American culinary and consumer culture through the lens of the grocery store.
