Imperial House has been a staple of the Bankers Hill community and greater San Diego for years. At the heart of this gathering spot was the music of local legend Rick Lyon. On Fridays and Saturdays crowds of all ages gathered to drink and dance to Rick’s one-of-a-kind piano stylings and singing.

Recently, Chef Dave (who also is in over his head as the manager of the restaurant and lounge) fired Rick and has replaced him with far inferior talent. Dave has ignored requests from long-time patrons to bring him back and in doing so has lost any customer base the iconic lounge once had.

To make matters worse, Dave has repeatedly raised prices (in an attempt to recover lost revenue), changed the drinks, and done away with popular long-time bartenders and replaced them with a cocktail waitress who has never tended bar before.

Rick Lyon needs to be brought back. And, Chef Dave needs to go or at least be replaced by a competent manager who understands why so many San Diegans appreciated Imperial House and can restore the one-time local favorite to its former glory.