Latest news with #Gladstones
CBS News
2 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Gladstones in Pacific Palisades set to reopen 4th of July
Gladstones restaurant in Pacific Palisades, "where the sun meets the sea" is reopening on July 4, nearly six months after Palisades Fire damage led to its closure. While it's not a complete reopening, an auxiliary kitchen offering a limited menu, and the public deck open Friday at 11 a.m. until sunset. The Jan. 7 Palisades Fire destroyed over 6,000 structures and caused 12 deaths. While Gladstones was spared, it did not go unscathed. An online fundraising effort, organized by the restaurant's assistant general manager, noted that Gladstones was one of the few structures that remained standing after the wildfire. "We were saved due to the heroic efforts of first responders, specifically Engine 238, who prevented total catastrophe," Gladstones GoFundMe page stated. Nearly $30,000 was donated for staff support while it was closed, as at least six employees lost their homes in the wildfire, according to the fundraising site. The restaurant's general manager, Jim Harris, said the closure has been very frustrating. "We've been here just trying to do damage control and rebuild and clean up the mess," he said. Gladstones suffered damage after the Jan. 7 Palisades Fire. KCAL News Renovations still need to be done inside the restaurant and kitchen. Harris said Thursday night, they hosted a community event at the restaurant, and they are eager to serve and entertain once again. "All the local residents, the people in Malibu and Palisades, come down, it's 50% off. First responders, we'd love to see you, it's 50% off to you for the whole month of July," Harris said. Gladstones welcomes guests back after a near six-month closure. KCAL News
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
An iconic beachside restaurant reopens on PCH after Palisades fire
Perched along the Pacific Coast Highway with an oceanfront view, Gladstones Malibu has long served as a pit stop for residents and road trippers looking to refuel over mai tais and clam chowder. Now, following nearly six months of closure due to damage sustained in the Palisades fire, the iconic restaurant will reopen its outdoor deck for dining on July 4. 'We just wanted to have something where the community could gather and have a place to visit while they're visiting their place of residence ... and feel a bit of normalcy after such a devastating event,' said Jim Harris, the restaurant manager and chief executive of Gladstones Legacy Group. The Palisades fire led to at least 12 deaths and the loss of more than 5,400 homes. At least six Gladstones staff members lost their homes in the fire, according to associate general manager Alex Peniston. Gladstones itself was saved in large part due to the heroic efforts of Engine 238, said Harris — though the back of the main building was burned, leaving toxic smoke damage throughout the main dining room and 'soccer ball-sized ashes' that damaged furniture on the deck. A staple on PCH since 1981, community members mourned the temporary closing of the restaurant on social media and raised nearly $30,000 on GoFundMe to support staff in the aftermath of the blaze. 'Gladstones is as iconic as any restaurant in Los Angeles and definitely a place where people can relive the good old days,' said Peniston, who said regulars constantly texted him wondering when the business was going to reopen. 'Luckily, Gladstones has been through a lot of openings or proposed closings and reopenings, so we've got some practice doing it.' Gladstones received the green light from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to open its auxiliary kitchen and outdoor public deck in early June, said Harris. Since then, it's been a sprint to reopen the public deck for the summer season, with construction ongoing right up until the launch. Harris hopes the main dining building — which has to undergo more extensive repairs — can reopen by next spring. Harris confirmed the restaurant's famous deck will offer a truncated menu — and no brunch service — but that visitors can still expect classics like calamari, burgers and Bloody Marys. For the month of July, the restaurant is offering 50% off food and drinks to Malibu and Palisades residents as well as first responders. Harris and partners also said the reopening represents the resilient spirit of the Pacific Palisades. 'The idea was that we wanted to become a community center for people who lost their homes,' said architect Stephen Francis Jones, who is leading the redesign of the deck and surrounding outdoor areas, which seat 250 people, as well as the auxiliary kitchen and the main dining building. The new deck design will have a 'warm feeling with accents of white,' said Jones, who swapped the old graying deck for new wood flooring and teak furniture. A raised platform will offer a more elevated experience with lights strung between lofty palm trees. But the highlight of the new design is what Jones calls the 'community circle,' a sectioned-off area near the patio's entrance where people can lounge with drinks from the walk-up bar if they don't care to dine in. The alcove features a fire pit surrounded by four eight-foot-tall walls, which local artist Jonas Never brought to life with murals depicting the neighborhoods that intersect at Gladstones — Malibu, the Pacific Palisades and Santa Monica. 'We always envisioned that that might be the place where people that haven't seen each other in a long time want to catch up with what's going on,' Jones said. The northern wall depicts a 1953 Corvette coming down PCH from Malibu — the driver and passenger 'obscured by the glare of the sunset in order to make the view anyone's California dream,' said Never. The southern wall, to be completed later this summer, will depict the Santa Monica Pier at sunset. The eastern wall spells out 'Gladstones,' the block letters filled in with depictions of beach life. And the final wall depicts local places and businesses lost in the fire, including Reel Inn, Malibu Feed Bin, the Business Block Building, Wylie's Bait and Tackle, Moonshadows, Rosenthal Wine Bar, Topanga Ranch Motel, Cholada Thai Cuisine and Tahitian Terrace. 'I drove past almost all of them for so much of my life that I feel some sort of connection to each one of them,' said Never, who described the mural as a 'memorial wall' that can offer residents a place to grieve and keep memories alive. 'They were landmarks ... and it makes the survival of Gladstones that much more special,' he said. 'It's the perfect place to honor the memories of the places lost in the fire.' When the main building reopens next year, Harris said the vision is to transform the dining room's open floor plan into a space with distinct pockets that speak to different eras of the restaurant's history. A mural originally commissioned by its most recent owner and former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan will still display in the restaurant's overflow room. The back room, which was once original owner Bob Morris' office, will be transformed into a speakeasy. A room upstairs will become a bridal suite and green room for private events. The distant future remains unclear, as a forthcoming restaurant from celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck and famed architect Frank Gehry was meant to take over the location following Riordan's death in April 2023 — though development has stalled. Gladstones Legacy Group, formed by longtime staff, was brought on by L.A. County as the restaurant's operator to ensure the location did not fall into disrepair in the interim. The group is currently working towards extending its concession agreement with the county until the current Coastal Development Permit expires in 2029, according to a county representative. 'Gladstones is expected to continue operating until the developer of the replacement facility is ready to begin construction,' said chief deputy director Amy Caves of the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors. 'Unfortunately, when that will happen is hard to predict, but the development process is ongoing, and the California Coastal Commission is tentatively scheduled to hold a hearing on the project later this year.' Puck's business partner, developer Tom Tellefsen, told The Times that his team is 'anticipating commencing construction in early to mid 2026.' In the meantime, Harris said his team is 'planning on being here as long as the county needs us to hold the place.' 'We're looking forward to just having a great summer and again, being a place for people to gather,' he said.
Eater
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Eater
Two Iconic Beachfront Malibu Restaurants Are Reopening After the Palisades Fire
Malibu beachfront restaurant Gladstones is partially reopening for the first time since the Palisades Fire. The restaurant will open its outdoor deck on July 4, while the interior remains closed for renovations due to the damage caused by the fire. Gladstones' outdoor deck has an updated look courtesy of architect Stephen Francis Jones and features a new mural from artist Jonas Never. When the deck reopens, it will serve well-known classics like fish tacos, ceviche, lobster rolls, and cocktails. The interior of Gladstones is slated to open in early 2026. Throughout July, the restaurant will offer 50 percent off food and drinks for Malibu and Palisades residents, as well as first responders. Both Duke's and Gladstones were in the path of the Palisades fire, though their main structures remained standing. Reopenings in the area were further delayed after Pacific Coast Highway was temporarily closed again due to mudslides in April. In recent months, businesses along the heavily trafficked coastline stretch have reopened, but clean-up efforts remain ongoing. After 12 years, chef Osamu Fujita will hand over the reins at Beverly Hills' Nozawa Bar. June 28 will be Fujita's last service, after which chef Jay Sada will take over the kitchen. According to SF Gate, Sada was a recommendation from Nozawa Bar founder Kazunori Nozawa himself; the pair have known each other since meeting in Japan in 2001. Tim Burton-esque bar Beetle House may be shuttering its Hollywood location at the end of July. In a post on Instagram, the bar explained its recent financial struggles due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2025 fires, and current immigration raids. The post also alleges that an investor pulled out with their $500,000, and that a manager stole $60,000 from the business before disappearing. Beetle House has set up a GoFundMe to help keep the doors open. Tien Nguyen, one of the Los Angeles Public Library's (LAPL) Creators in Residence, offers an inside look at one of the library's special collections — a menu archive that was started in the 1980s. The archive currently contains over 17,000 menus. SF Gate reports that Montecito has some new stars in town, and it's not just Harry and Meghan. The Santa Barbara suburb has seen a recent influx of restaurants like Bar Lou and Clark's Oyster Bar open, bringing new dining options to what was once a quiet town. Most recently, Santa Barbara pizzeria Bettina expanded into Montecito with Tina's Pizza. As Fairfax District restaurant Genghis Cohen continues to operate from its temporary home, offering takeout and delivery at 448 N. Fairfax after vacating its 42-year-old space, it has released chic branded sweatshirts and pants. Their new dining room should be available soon, but until then, pick up a hot piece of merch here. See More: Intel LA Restaurant Openings
