West Hollywood eatery Craig’s must be psyched about the nostalgia-induced trend of posting pics from 2016 on Instagram. At the time, the buzzy restaurant was universally acknowledged as the best spot in L.A. to snag a celebrity sighting. It was just as recognizable for the gaggle of paps lurking outside vying for pics of publicity-friendly stars like Kim Kardashian or George Clooney as it was for the Honey Truffle Chicken — its trademark dish.
What a difference a decade makes. “The paparazzi are moving away from Craig’s,” one veteran shutterbug told Page Six Hollywood on Tuesday. The dimming star wattage on Melrose Avenue is due to both economic and sociological trends.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West dine out at Craig’s in Hollywood on June 22, 2014. Pacific Coast News
“The restaurant was — and is still — a celebrity hot spot,” the same photog added. “But most stars are using the back entrance, making it hard for photographers to get photos, and the ones that use the front door are not high on the celeb food chain.”
The source said that ailing outlets are only paying good money for images of Sabrina Carpenter, Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner, who are dining at other destinations.
Kendall Jenner and Kourtney Kardashian grab dinner at Craig’s in West Hollywood. Splash News
The paps “are now waiting mostly outside at Alba Los Angeles,” (the outpost of NYC’s Cucina Alba, also nearby on Melrose). “The stars [photos] that go there actually run in the outlets. Bieber, Lauren Sanchez, Sydney Sweeney, and more, are regulars. It used to be that you could hang outside Craig’s all day… now you could be out there and making no money. You’re not going to make money off a photo of Heather McDonald.”
Owner Craig Susser didn’t get back to us, but more venerable VIPs still pack the place — even if they’re not fodder for Deux Moi: Page Six reported last year that former Vice President Kamala Harris dined at Craig’s on a Saturday night with husband Doug Emhoff and what appeared to be a crowd of power producers.
One connected woman around town — once known for kicking it at Les Deux, Bar Lubitsch and other hotspots of a bygone era — told us that she now reserves going to Craig’s with her son on Mother’s Day.