Sqirl Attempts a Comeback

"Sqirl launched a revolution in daytime dining, popularizing trends - tonics, vegetable-centric grain bowls, swoon-worthy brioche toast - that are now mainstays in Los Angeles. In a lengthy Eater profile from 2016, writer Marian Bull described Sqirl as "quirky, punky, small-but-scrappy," which was apt. But Sqirl was also, for a moment, the most famous restaurant in Los Angeles, achieving greatness by reimagining familiar ingredients and putting smiles on faces with effortlessly simple dishes rooted in complex fermentation."

"Everyone had an opinion about Sqirl because Los Angeles's restaurant scene revolved around it - which set up the restaurant for its fall from grace. In summer 2020, former staffers revealed mold in buckets of the brand's iconic fruit preserves, which went viral on social media. The fiasco, later dubbed JamGate, spun into several sub-controversies over whether Koslow had mistreated staff and sufficiently credited contributors to the brand's recipes."

Sqirl, Jessica Koslow's iconic Los Angeles restaurant, debuted its first dinner service on February 19, introducing dishes like buttery beet agnolotti. The restaurant revolutionized daytime dining by popularizing trends including tonics, vegetable-centric grain bowls, and brioche toast that became Los Angeles staples. Built on complex fermentation techniques and reimagined familiar ingredients, Sqirl became the most famous restaurant in the city with notorious lines. However, in summer 2020, the brand experienced a dramatic fall from grace when former staffers revealed mold in fruit preserves, triggering widespread social media backlash. The scandal, termed JamGate, expanded into controversies regarding staff treatment and recipe attribution, resulting in swift and lasting damage to Sqirl's reputation.

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