One of downtown San Diego's most troubled nightlife properties is preparing for yet another reinvention, although the latest concept looks suspiciously familiar. Mr. Cabrón Sports Cantina is taking over the former Mr. Tempo Cantina space inside the sprawling Theatre Box complex at 701 Fifth Avenue, bringing another Mexican-themed drinking and nightlife destination to a building whose recent history includes a fatal shooting, repeated health department closures, contentious lawsuits and the revocation of its previous liquor license. Even the new restaurant's branding bears a striking resemblance to its predecessor, featuring a skull wearing a cowboy hat, the same central imagery that adorned the former Mr. Tempo Cantina signage.
The new venue has begun teasing its arrival on Instagram under the handle @mrcabronsd where its debut graphic features a grinning skeleton in a cowboy hat smoking a cigar, accompanied by the words "Mr. Cabrón Sports Cantina." The imagery is difficult to overlook given that Mr. Tempo's previous logo also prominently featured a skull wearing a cowboy hat, making the forthcoming establishment appear less like a complete departure from its predecessor and more like a variation on a familiar theme.
Perhaps even more eyebrow-raising is the caption accompanying the new business's only Instagram post as of October 16: "Controlled chaos is coming to the gaslamp" While presumably intended as playful nightlife marketing, the choice of words is remarkable considering that the previous operations at the same address were repeatedly cited for nuisance conditions and disorderly activity, culminating in regulatory enforcement that stripped the entire entertainment complex of its ability to serve alcohol.
For a building where a man was murdered in a hallway, health inspectors repeatedly ordered businesses closed, and state alcohol regulators cited a disorderly premises, advertising the arrival of more "chaos" is an unusual way to introduce a supposedly fresh start.
An employment advertisement posted to Indeed confirms that Mr. Cabrón Sports Cantina is actively recruiting staff for 701 Fifth Avenue. The listing describes the establishment as a lively Mexican sports cantina combining game-day viewing with traditional Mexican flavors, craft cocktails, music and nightlife. The business is seeking servers comfortable working in a high-volume environment, particularly during sporting events, evenings and weekends, with advertised hourly wages ranging from $17.75 to $19.
The concept sounds remarkably similar to what previously occupied the space. Mr. Tempo Cantina, operated by restaurateur Jorge "Mr. Tempo" Cueva, was built around Mexican-inspired food, tequila-heavy cocktails, loud music and a high-energy party atmosphere. Mr. Cabrón appears to be embracing much of the same formula, adding a sports-focused identity while retaining the same general restaurant category, provocative branding and skull-in-cowboy-hat imagery.
The similarities alone do not establish that the two restaurants share an operator, and there is presently no confirmed evidence that Cueva is involved in Mr. Cabrón. However, newly updated California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control records reveal that the latest business is emerging under a liquor license controlled by individuals already deeply connected to the Theatre Box ownership structure.
According to ABC records dated October 16, 2026, the previous Type 47 liquor license associated with Mr. Tempo Cantina, license number 585816, is now canceled. A replacement Type 47 license, number 677002, was issued August 19, 2026, and became active the following day. The new license is held by 701 Fifth Avenue LLC, whose listed members are Hollywood entertainment entrepreneur Elie Kheir Samaha and hospitality executive Freddy Braidi, with Samaha also identified as manager.
That development represents a significant turning point for Theatre Box. When SanDiegoVille investigated the property in February, the license transfer was still pending and the former liquor license remained under an indefinite suspension following a series of regulatory violations. Alcohol service throughout the interconnected entertainment complex had been prohibited since November 2025, effectively bringing the building's remaining nightlife operations to a halt.
The completed transfer now places the license directly in the hands of two individuals previously identified as central figures in the property's ownership and redevelopment plans. Although the new licensee is a separate legal entity from the former Mr. Tempo license holder, the transition is not a clean break from the building's established ownership network.
The former license belonged to 701 Fifth Ave LLC, a similarly named but legally distinct entity whose officers and members included Carol Braidi, Sherwin Jarol, AMAG Inc., Maison Holding LLC and Vivi Properties. The replacement license belongs to 701 Fifth Avenue LLC, listing Freddy Braidi and Samaha. The nearly identical corporate names and overlapping relationships make the change particularly noteworthy, especially given the disputes over operational responsibility that plagued the property's previous incarnation.
ABC records show that the old license accumulated multiple disciplinary proceedings before its cancellation. One involved a violation of California Business and Professions Code Section 25658(a), which prohibits selling or furnishing alcoholic beverages to minors, and resulted in a $3,000 penalty. Another resulted in a fully stayed 10-day suspension.
The most consequential proceeding involved violations of several provisions of California alcohol law, including Section 25601, which addresses disorderly premises, and statutes governing licensing and disciplinary action. The resulting settlement included revocation of the license, with the revocation stayed for 180 days, and a 30-day suspension. The license record also reflected an indefinite suspension beginning November 12, 2025.
State regulators previously confirmed to SanDiegoVille that the August 2025 fatal shooting inside Theatre Box fell within the time period and conduct encompassed by two of the disciplinary counts, although the killing was not specifically identified in the formal accusation.
The newly issued license currently shows no disciplinary history or active disciplinary action. That distinction is important because the violations attached to the former license do not automatically constitute violations by the new licensee. Nevertheless, the new company is inheriting responsibility for alcohol service at a property with an unusually extensive record of regulatory and operational problems.
The active license also includes operating conditions that could become relevant to Mr. Cabrón's advertised sports-bar and nightlife concept. Among them is a requirement that quarterly gross alcohol sales not exceed quarterly gross food sales. The business must also offer food whenever alcohol is being sold, while alcohol service on rooftop and other patio areas is restricted to between 8am and midnight.
The restrictions reflect the property's classification as a bona fide eating establishment rather than an unrestricted nightclub. Whether the new operation will comply with those conditions will depend on how the business functions once it opens.
The broader story of 701 Fifth Avenue is one of repeated reinventions, ambitious promotional campaigns and increasingly serious setbacks.
Originally constructed in 1997 as a $15 million, 15-screen movie theater, the approximately 73,000-square-foot building became a major anchor of downtown San Diego's entertainment district. After operating for years as Reading Cinemas Gaslamp 15, the theater closed in 2016 and was subsequently transformed into Theatre Box, a celebrity-backed luxury cinema and entertainment destination that debuted in December 2018.
The project initially combined upscale movie auditoriums with Sugar Factory American Brasserie, a candy store, elaborate cocktail venues and celebrity-associated entertainment concepts. Its grand opening featured appearances by Pitbull and Nick Cannon, while subsequent projects included Cannon's Wild 'N Out Sports Bar & Arcade and a rooftop venue associated with Nick Jonas and John Varvatos.
The elaborate entertainment experiment never achieved lasting stability. Celebrity concepts closed, the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the cinema business, and by early 2023 the original Theatre Box vision had largely collapsed.
Jorge Cueva subsequently emerged as the property's next major restaurateur, transforming the former Sugar Factory space into Mr. Tempo Cantina following a reported multimillion-dollar renovation. The project was promoted as the centerpiece of a new nightlife destination, eventually joined by Cielo Rooftop Lounge, Cowboy Cantina and a revival of the Hollywood nightclub The Roxbury.
Despite their distinct branding, the various businesses operated under a shared liquor-license arrangement, creating an interconnected regulatory structure in which violations affecting one operation could jeopardize alcohol service across the entire complex.
Trouble followed. San Diego County health inspectors repeatedly ordered operations at the property closed in 2025 over major vermin and sanitation violations. City inspections uncovered unpermitted construction, while the complex experienced a growing number of disputes involving management, security, tenants and employees.
Public records obtained by SanDiegoVille from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department documented 132 emergency responses to 701 Fifth Avenue between January 2020 and November 2025. Those included 91 medical incidents and 41 non-medical responses, including fire alarms, equipment malfunctions and a confirmed structure fire. Not every emergency response reflected misconduct, but the records demonstrated the extraordinary volume of public-safety activity associated with the property.
The most devastating incident occurred August 3, 2025, when 46-year-old Navy veteran, respiratory therapist, husband and father Antwan Bluthenthal, also known as Antwan Eugene Blu, was fatally shot inside a third-floor hallway of Theatre Box.
Brian Tyner was subsequently arrested and charged with the killing. In September 2026, a San Diego jury convicted Tyner of first-degree murder and related firearm offenses following a trial in which surveillance footage documented the confrontation preceding the shooting. His sentencing was scheduled for November.
The killing also resulted in a wrongful death lawsuit brought on behalf of Bluthenthal's young daughter against multiple entities connected to the property, including the building owner and the operator of Cielo Rooftop Lounge. The lawsuit alleges that inadequate security, insufficient monitoring of common areas and other failures contributed to the shooting. Those allegations remain contested and have not been established by the criminal conviction.
The fatal shooting occurred during a period of mounting regulatory scrutiny. In October 2025, ABC and the former liquor license holder reached a disciplinary settlement that revoked the license subject to a temporary stay permitting its transfer. Alcohol service was prohibited in November, leaving the complex's remaining bars and restaurants unable to operate as previously configured.
Mr. Tempo Cantina subsequently closed in December 2025, joining a growing list of failed or abandoned concepts inside the former movie theater.
The restaurant's departure was accompanied by increasingly bitter litigation between Cueva and the property's ownership.
In December 2025, Cueva filed a civil lawsuit against 701 Fifth Ave. Properties LLC and multiple individuals and companies associated with Theatre Box, including Samaha and Braidi. The complaint asserted allegations involving fraud, negligent misrepresentation, conversion, breach of fiduciary duty, constructive fraud and other alleged misconduct.
Those claims are contested allegations, not findings of wrongdoing. Samaha previously denied the accusations in correspondence with SanDiegoVille and indicated that he expected the dispute to be resolved through settlement.
The parties had also been embroiled in an eviction dispute, with Samaha previously acknowledging that claims involving unpaid rent exceeded $1 million. The precise amount owed and responsibility for the competing claims remained disputed.
In February 2026, SanDiegoVille contacted Samaha directly as part of an investigation into the ownership and future of Theatre Box. He responded at length, disputing several characterizations of the property's problems while outlining plans for an ambitious redevelopment.
Samaha identified proposed tenants that included Laya, a Lebanese restaurant concept; the return of Sugar Factory; The LKSD, a steakhouse with an existing location in Downey; Heaven on Sunset, a spa concept; and a revival of Tequila del Cielo, the rooftop operator associated with Cielo Rooftop Lounge.
The proposed return of Tequila del Cielo was especially notable because that company was named in the wrongful death lawsuit arising from Bluthenthal's killing. Samaha denied liability in the case and stated that the litigation was being handled by insurance carriers.
Samaha also disputed the characterization of some ABC violations, arguing that the regulatory dispute partly concerned the proper structure of management agreements and which entities were legally required to hold alcohol licenses. He maintained that the licensing issues would be resolved and that the property would eventually receive authorization to resume alcohol service.
The newly active license indicates that this portion of the redevelopment effort has now succeeded.
What remains unclear is how Mr. Cabrón fits into the broader strategy Samaha previously described. The sports cantina was not among the concepts identified in his February correspondence, and its emergence raises questions about whether the proposed tenant lineup has changed, who is financing and managing the new establishment, and whether other previously announced projects remain on track.
The precise relationship between Mr. Cabrón and the former Mr. Tempo operation is another unresolved issue. The two businesses share a location, a similar Mexican cantina concept and conspicuously similar skull-and-cowboy-hat branding. However, no evidence currently establishes that the new venture is legally affiliated with Cueva or his former operating companies.
The liquor-license records establish a different connection: Samaha and Freddy Braidi, who were previously involved in the ownership and attempted redevelopment of Theatre Box, are now the members of the company holding the active alcohol license.
Braidi is the founder and CEO of Boulevard Hospitality Group, a Los Angeles-based hospitality company associated with restaurants and venues including Yamashiro Hollywood. Samaha is a longtime film producer and entertainment entrepreneur whose business interests include Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theatre and Dolby Theatre. Both men have substantial experience in hospitality and entertainment, and both have been named in litigation arising from the previous Theatre Box operation.
SanDiegoVille has requested clarification from Samaha regarding Mr. Cabrón's ownership, management, relationship to the former Mr. Tempo business, liquor-license transfer, security procedures and the status of the property's previously announced redevelopment projects.
The similarities between the outgoing and incoming concepts are difficult to ignore. Mr. Tempo's logo featured a cowboy-hat-wearing skull, while Mr. Cabrón's promotional imagery features a cowboy-hat-wearing skull smoking a cigar. Both brands are centered on irreverent Mexican cantina identities, both emphasize drinking and nightlife, and both are associated with the same prominent Gaslamp address.
The branding resemblance is not proof of common ownership or a legal relationship, but it reinforces the impression that the new concept is borrowing heavily from the visual identity and hospitality formula of its predecessor. And then there is the new venue's first and, as of October 16, only Instagram post: "Controlled chaos is coming to the gaslamp."
In most nightlife districts, the phrase might pass as an ordinary marketing slogan promising a rowdy good time. At 701 Fifth Avenue, it carries a very different resonance. The property's previous operations were the subject of enforcement proceedings involving nuisance conditions and disorderly premises, while the building's recent history includes repeated health closures, contentious litigation and a fatal shooting that continues to reverberate through the courts.
There is no indication that the people behind Mr. Cabrón intended the slogan as a reference to those events. Nevertheless, the decision to advertise "chaos" as a selling point at an address still confronting the consequences of its previous nightlife operations is a striking public relations choice.
The new liquor license represents a legitimate regulatory milestone, and a reopened restaurant could restore activity to a prominent downtown corner that has remained largely dormant. Yet the completion of the license transfer does not, by itself, answer questions about security, management accountability, operating practices or the future of the surrounding Theatre Box complex.
For a property that has already been reinvented as a movie palace, celebrity entertainment destination, luxury cinema, Mexican cantina, rooftop nightlife hub and collection of short-lived clubs, Mr. Cabrón represents another attempt to give the same address a fresh identity.
Whether it delivers a genuinely different experience remains to be seen. For now, the familiar skull has returned to 701 Fifth Avenue, the liquor license is active again, and the marketing promises that "controlled chaos" is on its way.
After everything that happened under the previous regime, San Diego will have reason to watch closely whether the next chapter is actually different.
Mr. Cabrón Sports Cantina is preparing to open at 701 Fifth Avenue in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter. An official opening date, complete menu and operating hours have not yet been publicly confirmed. SanDiegoVille will continue monitoring the venue's development, ownership arrangements, regulatory compliance and litigation associated with Theatre Box.
Originally published on October 16, 2026.