Restaurant Operators Slow to Jump at Beachfront Sites

Bidders aren’t falling over each other in a rush to operate restaurants on two city-owned beach properties in Ventura.

Only one new applicant met an extended deadline for filing bids to develop and operate a restaurant at the foot of the just-reopened Ventura Pier, bringing the total number of applicants to four.

A short walk from the pier, a vacant site formerly occupied by a seaside cafe adjoining the Holiday Inn has drawn just a single bidder.

The new applicant for the pier location is H.E.G. Enterprises, a Seattle firm that has restaurants in Seattle, San Clemente and Newport Beach, according to Ventura parks manager Bill Byerts, who is in charge of the project.

At one time, more than 60 groups and individuals expressed interest in operating the proposed 5,000-square-foot restaurant at the foot of the refurbished pier. When only three offers were submitted by the original July 30 deadline, the city extended the cutoff date to Oct. 1.

“Undoubtedly, the economy was a factor, but some people apparently didn’t realize the city was prepared to help finance the project,” Byerts said.

He identified the others seeking to develop the pier restaurant as the Ruby’s cafe chain; the Reel Inn Corp., which has units in Malibu and Santa Monica, and the Janss interests of Thousand Oaks.

Byerts expects the pier restaurant operator to be chosen within six months. Since the foundation is already in, he noted, the place could be open within 18 months. He added that the winning bidder might also operate a snack bar and bait shop on the pier.

The other available beach location is a three-store, 5,800-square-foot complex that includes a site formerly occupied by Charlie’s Seaside Cafe. The only bidder for the master lease was Ventura Realty Co., according to Terry Adelman, Ventura’s director of management resources.

Ventura Realty manages several nearby properties and also owns a restaurant in the area on California Street, Adelman said.

Ventura’s City Council will have the final say on who takes over the two beach sites. The council could, if it chooses, reject all applicants and start both searches all over again.