The Linkery and Hubcap Will BOTH Close This Month

Today industry veteran Jay Porter shares the sad news that he and Michael McGuan and chef Max Bonacci will close The Linkery and Hubcap this month. He announces in a newsletter today that "we are finding that we can't, given our circumstances, make our restaurants the best they can be — which I believe is the least and most we can ask of ourselves and of any community enterprise." The Linkery, a lauded farm-to-table spot, has been open for the last eight years, while burger joint Hubcap replaced its predecessor El Take It Easy just a few months ago. The former restaurant will close after service on the 15th, while the burger joint will finish out the rest of the month. Porter writes, "Each place will be taken over by a different, independent, locally-based owner, and they will each bring exciting changes to 30th Street." Now the news earlier today about Bonacci joining the Carnitas' Snack Shack makes a lot more sense.

Eater reached out to Jay the owner for a statement but he's not making comments until after their closing celebration. See his full letter below.

Hi Friends,

After a long time -- eight years for me & Michael, six for Max -- at the helm of this exploration called the Linkery, the last couple seasons have seen all three of us drawn in new and different directions. In turn, we are finding that we can't, given our circumstances, make our restaurants the best they can be -- which I believe is the least and most we can ask of ourselves and of any community enterprise. Simply put, it's time for us to move on, and let new operators bring their unique gifts to the community. We will be closing the Linkery after service July 15th, and Hubcap at the end of July. Each place will be taken over by a different, independent, locally-based owner, and they will each bring exciting changes to 30th Street.

We're proud of what went on here the last 8 years, and we're grateful to you for making it happen. We see these next couple weeks as a great opportunity to celebrate all the fun we've had, and the changes to the San Diego food landscape that you created by dining here and continuing to encourage us to break new ground. From Ossabaw dinners and the early cask nights, to the craft beer pairings, local wines, extensive meat curing and smoking, Baja culinary adventures, and exploring the world of local farms -- you sent us on these missions which we found inspirational, and delicious; and I think they changed, at least a little bit, how things are done in this town. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for all that.

Over the next couple weeks, we hope to say thanks to as many of you as we can. We'll be serving every night (except the 4th of July) so you can enjoy your Linkery favorites one (or more) last time. And Max is going to come into the Linkery kitchen on the 14th and 15 of July -- our last two nights open at the Linkery -- to cook up some special dishes for what we figure will be a really fun goodbye party. I'm looking forward to celebrating with you in person.

After we close, I intend to do a lot more writing on my personal site, including sharing my thoughts about our experiences at the Linkery over the years. I've moved that blog back to http://jayporter.com/dispatches. We'll be putting together some kind of cookbook/retrospective. And I'm working to create a new restaurant which will continue exploring our love of local food, this time in the Bay Area. I'll let you know as that happens. I really want to thank you again, for all your support and interest over the years. It's a true gift, I can't say enough how lucky I am.

Thank you for your years of love and support. I can't wait until our paths cross again.And thanks for choosing local, handcrafted food. We love you, and have a great day! (And come and see us before we close!)

Best,
Jay