On Thursday morning, Tadeh Ghazalian discovered a video on Instagram showing a broken water main flooding the street by his restaurant, Dialog Cafe. A large sinkhole emerged at the busy Sunset Strip intersection, right beside his café. Friends, family, and employees were already reaching out with messages of concern.

Ghazalian shared that water from the burst line poured into his restaurant for several hours. “It looked like a pool,” he said, describing how water filled the establishment.

Aged at 110 years, the underground pipe burst early Thursday, spilling 17 million gallons of water into parts of West Hollywood. Businesses, homes, and garages suffered damage, while a sinkhole formed at Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive. Road closures persisted, impacting area businesses.

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power crews are replacing the pipe, aiming to reopen streets by Monday. However, some businesses, including Dialog Cafe, expect repairs to take months. The cafe has been a community staple since 2007, operated by Armenian immigrants Rafik and Kenar Ghazalian, who envisioned creating a community in the U.S.

The family transformed a previous internet cafe into Dialog Cafe, embracing a European-style menu. Tadeh Ghazalian, one of their sons, merged his love for third-wave coffee with the family business, assuming leadership with his brother after their father’s death. Before the flood, Dialog Cafe was bustling, with customers lining up around the building.

Arriving at the cafe around 7 a.m. Thursday, Ghazalian initially thought water and mud could be easily removed. Instead, he found the basement—housing bathrooms and storage—completely flooded, requiring extensive renovations.

Major structural damage affected the cafe. A warped back door couldn’t close, prompting Ghazalian to secure it with plywood. Part of the sidewalk disappeared under the water’s force. By late Thursday, utilities were restored, and Friday saw free coffee and pastries offered to repair crews.

The community of customers continued visiting for their usual orders, though the cafe remains closed. Ghazalian noted the emotional support from patrons. “A customer hugged me, expressing how much Dialog Cafe means to them,” he said. “It’s beyond coffee and food.” The support has been overwhelming, with numerous offers of support for storage and kitchen use coming from other business owners.

Lighthearted social media comments have kept spirits up, and hundreds of supportive messages poured in on Instagram. Ghazalian is considering a temporary relocation while repairs continue. He launched a GoFundMe to support roughly 90 staff members and assist with repair costs and potential temporary operations.

“I’ve worked 17 years here, six days a week for 18 hours daily,” Ghazalian said. “Facing an empty restaurant feels strange.” Nearby businesses, such as Mel’s Drive-In, though undamaged, also felt the effects with a significant sales drop due to road closures, according to co-owner Colton Weiss. Although some roads reopened Friday, business remained slower than usual.

I think people are avoiding the area. At least we’re open. I feel bad for the businesses that aren’t open. — Colton Weiss