UPDATE: It seems like there may actually be some hope for the future of the Reel Inn. According to a statement from California State Parks—and published by Eater and ABC—the agency says that its recent communications “may not have fully conveyed our values and intent to parter with [the restaurant’s owners],” and that it’s committed to “thoughtfully exploring a path forward that makes it possible for the Reel Inn to thrive on state parks property.” While the department doesn’t spell out exactly what form that’ll take, it says it hopes the Reel Inn can return as “a place where residents and visitors alike gather in a vibrant, welcoming setting.”
Our original story appears below.
Nearly eight months after the catastrophic Eaton and Palisades Fires, there’ve been some positive rebuilding stories: Debris removal has progressed significantly ahead of schedule, and some shuttered museums and restaurants in Pacific Palisades and Altadena have recently been able to reopen. Of course, not all stories have been as optimistic: Concerns about soil quality still linger while the remains of formerly middle-class homes now change hands to the ultra-rich. And then there are some developments that are just… complicated.
The Reel Inn Malibu, an iconic no-frills seafood shack destroyed by the Palisades Fire, said that despite its desire to rebuild, it won’t—or rather can’t. According to a report this past weekend in The Wall Street Journal, the California Department of Parks and Recreation has opted not to renew the restaurant’s lease.
The Reel Inn dates back to the late 1980s, but as part of an early-aughts expansion of Topanga State Park, California’s parks department acquired the sliver of then-private land that the restaurant sat on just west of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and north of the Pacific Coast Highway. Restaurant owners Teddy Seraphine-Leonard and Andy Leonard had been leasing the land from the state ever since, and that lease expired a month after the fires; in August, the department notified them that their lease would not be renewed.
Technically, the Reel Inn could bid to operate a food truck there on a two-to-three-year lease, but any sort of permanent structure is out of the question for now. In a statement to The Wall Street Journal, California State Parks said it recognized the importance of reviving beloved businesses, but that the fires have left much less space to build on now in Pacific Palisades (in fact, a portion of the across-the-street-from-the-beach site is currently serving as a staging ground for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s two-year-long effort to restore the coastal neighborhood’s power grid). As a result, in the name of transparency and accountability, the agency will require a competitive bidding process for any businesses interested in short-term leases on the plot.
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Seraphine-Leonard told The Wall Street Journal that “it would be a Herculean task to bring [the Reel Inn] back.” The couple has turned down offers to relocate (including to a spot in Marina del Rey), and for now are working on a cookbook and plans to bottle the restaurant’s chipotle sauce (they also raised more than $200,000 for their out-of-work staff, most of whom have been able to find jobs elsewhere).
While it was still standing, we loved the Reel Inn for its one-of-a-kind atmosphere, fresh beachside fare and family-friendly patio. It was truly a PCH landmark—as were its neighbors, Cholada Thai, Rosenthal Winery and the Topanga Ranch Motel, all of which were destroyed in the Palisades Fire.