Huntington Beach venue operator finds her ‘SeaLegs’ after 10 years of good vibes
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A decade can go by quickly, just ask Alicia Cox.
Cox’s daughter Sahara was 5 years old when the entrepreneur’s first beach concessions, including SeaLegs at the Beach, opened at Bolsa Chica State Beach in 2016.
Sahara is now an incoming high school sophomore who just passed her driving learner’s permit test this week.
Time may be a thief, but frequent visitors of SeaLegs at the Beach have spent the last 10 years dancing, laughing at comedy and generally enjoying themselves.
The venue plans to celebrate its 10th anniversary with an all-day party on the sand on Saturday.
Cox compares SeaLegs to Huntington Beach’s popular Golden Bear nightclub, which closed in the 1980s.
“People kept wanting the Golden Bear to come back to Huntington so bad, and then we created SeaLegs,” said Cox, a Huntington Beach resident and the chief executive and founder of PRJKT Restaurant Group.
“I don’t think people quite realize that we took over that missing hole in Huntington Beach … We’ve had huge acts here, and then we’ve had people who could play their first show here before they went on to a place where I could never get them again, you know. And so, I think that this is a good analogy. Like this is this era’s version of the Golden Bear, but on the beach, and I think it’s become iconic to Huntington.”
Visitors to SeaLegs on Saturday are asked to bring photos of memories they have from experiences there, which will be combined to create an 8-foot memory board that will be displayed on the property.
The first 200 people to bring a photo will receive a gift bag of goodies.
“We’re bringing a laminator,” Cox said. “So if people bring a printed photo from their computer, we’re gonna laminate it right then and there, and we’re gonna put this huge wall of memories together.”
Birthday cake will be served at 2 p.m., and there’s a full slate of bands all day — from Vintage Vinyl and Mystified to Yachty By Nature and the Red Hot Cholo Peppers.
SeaLegs will always hold a special place in the heart of Cox, now 46. It was one of four beach eateries she brought to Bolsa Chica State Beach in 2016. Three concessions at neighboring Huntington State Beach followed, as part of a contract with the California State Parks system.
The eighth property, called California Cabana, will likely have a soft opening later this year at Brookhurst Street and Pacific Coast Highway. That one will mostly focus on private events, Cox said.
“I want to be able to give back,” she said. “And I’ve been saying it for a while, but now that all the concessions are finally done, I want to use that last one to be able to feature other chefs in Orange County, up-and-coming chefs or established chefs, and I want to be able to help other women who are aspiring to follow their dreams and careers.”
As for SeaLegs, Cox said it’s been a pleasure growing a popular venue out of a space she said was formerly a homeless encampment. She largely books all of the music and entertainment acts herself, pulling some big acts for free shows.
On the Fourth of July, for example, SeaLegs hosted popular rapper Shwayze and Kalvin Love, the oldest son of rapper Snoop Dogg. And the venue’s Reggae Sundays have become a beloved tradition for many.
Building up the beach businesses was a change for Cox, who had previously operated the now-closed SeaLegs Wine Bar and SeaSalt Woodfire Grill on Beach Boulevard.
“When I came and started this, I couldn’t call anybody and be like, ‘So how do you run yours?’” Cox said. “There was nobody who was doing this. So I first started with a full-service restaurant, which was absolutely crazy.
“It was so busy,” she recalled. “We’re trying to bring out food, and there’d be sand in their freaking hot dog or their burger, and the people would be gone and missing. I mean, I think I had like a one-star Yelp review, because we couldn’t run it like a full-service restaurant. I had to completely tweak things.”
The formula she settled on has worked for many dedicated attendees, like Amy Peppi of Huntington Beach, who is at the venue nearly every weekend with her girlfriends.
“Always great bands,” Peppi said. “Always amazing. [I’ve been coming here] since the beginning. Even during COVID, we’d stop and get a little mimosa on our walks at the beach. There’s always some good band you want to watch.”
One thing that sets SeaLegs apart, Cox pointed out, is that the multi-use beach path is so close to the ocean on that particular stretch of beach.
“When you’re here, the ocean’s so close that you feel like you’re on a cruise ship,” she said.
There are certainly worse things than being at the beach on days like that.
“There’s nothing more gratifying than being in here and having not one person know who I am, which is now rarer than it used to be,” Cox said. “But I love just watching all the joy that all these people have. They’re not on their phones. They’re not fighting over their political differences. They’re enjoying life and living in the moment.”
