Owners of the El Cajon Boulevard steakhouse are promising to reopen by September, possibly with a new operator.

A San Diego institution since 1959, the restaurant suddenly shut its doors and fired all employees, citing financial issues.

Originally, the Red Fox was part of the Lafayette Hotel, but in 2020, the restaurant closed down due to the pandemic and a planned relocation. Two years later, it reopened at 2223 El Cajon Boulevard.

Tricksters, even. Fitting then that the Red Fox Restaurant & Lounge, the North End’s newest modern Italian destination for pasta and martinis, sports a name that nods to this creature.

In 2019, they opened Fox on the Green at the Portland West Golf Course and in 2022, Red Fox Prime Steak House opened in Glastonbury at 39 New London Turnpike. It’s a family business.