Legendary LA restaurant faces uncertainty after $34K electricity bill

California’s soaring energy costs could spell trouble for one of LA’s most legendary restaurants.

Canter’s, a nearly 100-year-old Jewish deli institution brimming with Hollywood lore, is sounding the alarm after watching its electric bill skyrocket to over $34,000 — nearly $10,000 from just four months ago, according to third-generation co-owner Marc Canter.

One of the longest-running and most well-liked businesses in the city’s rapidly failing Fairfax District is now being forced to make numerous cutbacks, including to the building’s air conditioning — a particularly difficult decision as Southern California suffers through historic heat waves in 2026.

If costs continue to rise, the estimable eatery may have to start cutting back on staff, Canter said — putting the jobs of loyal employees who have worked there for decades at risk.

He explained that he’s speaking out in hopes of shining a spotlight on a significant issue facing already-strapped mom-and-pop spots across the Southland.

“I believe I can speak for all small businesses, and nobody is operating in the black right now,” Canter told CBS LA. “The question is, how much are they losing and how long can they sustain that loss?”

The rough revelation has led to widespread commiseration online — where Southern Californians lamented their own struggles with rising utility rates.

“Utilities, like many things in Los Angeles that the government is involved in, are an extortion racket,” one Reddit commenter spat. “Marc Canter is a good guy, and Canter’s is a staple of the city. As a regular patron I would hate to see the staff be cut because of this, they really are part of what makes it such a special place.”

“I live around the corner from Canter’s and my DWP bill doubled this month! It’s never been this high in over 12 years!” another commenter wrote.

“I just got one as well. For context I live alone my electricity bill is usually around $160…my electricity bill was $647 this month,” a third ratepayer chimed in.

The news comes after a San Fernando Valley man went viral for receiving a shocking $3,300 power bill from the from LADWP. 

The bill was so outrageous that government officials launched an investigation over the situation.

“It doesn’t sit right with me; it doesn’t sit right with a lot of folks,” LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia told CBS LA. “We already did a huge data request as well to understand these bills.”

The Golden State is feeling the burn of high electricity bills. A recent analysis found that Californians pay the highest electricity prices in the whole country, more than double the national average — a situation at least one expert referred to as “alarming.”

California’s average price for electricity was 27.63 cents per kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2025, which was 103% higher than the national average of 13.63 cents.

Canter’s is a bright spot on the Fairfax corridor, which has been plagued with empty storefronts for years. Marc’s sister Jacqueline, who also co-owns the restaurant, previously pointed to high rents as a cause for vacant businesses along the struggling street.

“My grandfather was smart enough to buy the property when he did, and so I try to maintain,” Canter told the California Post in September.

“I would love to see everybody else lower their rent so that we can have 100% no vacancies on Fairfax,” she told the California Post.

“I’ve seen places that have been vacant for like 30 years. I’m thinking this doesn’t make any sense to me, business-wise, to keep a property vacant for 30 years,” she continued.  

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