Strand House, BREWCO In Manhattan Beach May Close Temporarily

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — With the closure of outdoor dining in Manhattan Beach and all of Los Angeles County announced last night [Sunday, Nov. 22] by Department of Public Health officials, restaurateurs in the city are acting quickly to deal with yet another financial blow to their businesses.

But late today [Monday, Nov. 23], opposition to the order is coming forward as Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger issued a news release saying she opposes "the Department of Public Health’s decision to prohibit outdoor dining and further restrictions including another Safer at Home Order, instead calling to align with the State of California’s health orders."

However, even if Barger's bid to stop the order is successful at tomorrow's [Tuesday, Nov. 24] LA County Board of Supervisors meeting, restaurant owners in Manhattan Beach are already taking steps to cope with the impact of the order should it take effect Thursday.

Chef David LeFevre of the acclaimed culinary destinations in downtown Manhattan Beach — MB Post, Fishing with Dynamite and The Arthur J — is asking diners not to cancel any existing reservations. "We would hate to have cancellations over the next three days while we have teammates willing and able to work," he said Monday, Nov. 23 after being contacted by Manhattan Beach Patch.

Other downtown restaurant empires are asking much the same. "We need people to dine out these next few days and take care of their servers," said Jenna Ritter, director of marketing for the Zislis Group which owns and operates The Strand House, Rock'n Fish, BREWCO and zinc@shade.

Ritter said that Rock’N Fish, BREWCO and The Strand House will close for the three weeks once the order takes effect but offered ways community members could help support the restaurants. "Once we are closed, buy gift cards, leave a positive yelp review and engage with us on social media," she said.

zinc@shade will be the only Zislis restaurant in Manhattan Beach to remain open for food to go, delivery and nightly family meals.

Other downtown legends, such as Shellback Tavern, will operate "as usual" Wednesday until 10 p.m. when the order would take effect, said Owner Bob Beverly. After that, Shellback is closed on Thanksgiving [most restaurants in Manhattan Beach are] and then will open Friday afternoon for take-out, probably from 2:30-9 p.m. Weekends and holidays, he expects Shellback to be open 10 a.m.-9 p.m. "We will probably close Tuesdays and Wednesday unless there is nice weather," he said.

Bu regardless of what is thrown at him, Beverly intends to keep the downtown MB legend alive and open. "We have zero plans to close [for good]," he said. "I sold a home I owned and will continue to subsidize the funding of Shellback Tavern until things get back to normal." He guesses that "normal" will hit in 2021.

Manhattan Beach is known for its plethora of restaurants and eating establishments from downtown to the North End to Sepulveda Boulevard to Manhattan Village Shopping Center and other destinations in the seaside city. Many restaurants have set up quaint outdoor dining spaces or elaborate dining decks, working closely with the City of Manhattan Beach and residents to keep the business community that makes the city a special place alive and breathing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This new order is crippling to our Downtown restaurants," said Jill Lamkin, executive director of the Downtown Manhattan Beach Business + Professional Association. "After investing so much in PPE, staffing and outdoor dining decks, another closure, particularly at the holidays, will have a tremendous impact.

"The last outdoor seatings will be at 9:15 p.m. on Wednesday night, so please consider dining out as much as possible prior to those closures. This is likely the last income that many kitchen staff, servers and bartenders will see for several weeks. Beginning on Thursday, please stretch yourself to order to-go from as many different places as you can. Remember everyone needs your help," she said.

For her part, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district includes Manhattan Beach, will "ask Barbara Ferrer a series of questions tomorrow during the Board meeting about the rationale and strategy behind the outdoor dining closure," according to Hahn's Communications Director Liz Odendahl.

Said Manhattan Beach Mayor Richard Montgomery, whose City Council and city staff have put in extra effort and hours tackling the business curves the pandemic and restrictions have thrown at the city and business owners, "The timing of this latest order from LA DPH is frustrating, disheartening and devastating all at the same time. Just as our businesses and restaurants were allowed to 'reopen and begin to recover from the previous lock down, they end up going in reverse through no fault of their own.

"And the timing of all this, just before Thanksgiving and Christmas just over a month away. Everyone understands that LA DPH is doing all it can to protect all communities fromCOVID-19. And our common goal is to assist all businesses move forward these next three weeks by following all DPH guidelines and stop the rise in COVID cases. Then hopefully we can 'reopen to allow outdoor dining,'" said the mayor.

When contacted this morning, Mayor Montgomery also said the city had not received "the actual LA DPH 'order' yet." And that "Once we receive the orders and review them, we will issue a press release."

This article originally appeared on the Manhattan Beach Patch