One of the most iconic beachfront restaurants in Los Angeles reopened Friday six months after the devastating Palisades fire swept through the coastal community.
Gladstones, a staple on Pacific Coast Highway in the Pacific Palisades since 1981, repaired the damage from the Palisades Fire and welcomed back patrons just in time for the Fourth of July holiday.
For longtime customers like Jeanie Crawford, the restaurant could not have reopened on a better day.
“I chose to come so I could hug everybody and just take it in,” Crawford said while sipping her margarita, saying not being able to visit her famous restaurant for six months felt like a huge loss. “It just feels very celebratory, very meaningful.”
Operators said while the restaurant building is still under construction, its beachfront deck, including a lounge area, is open for customers.
“The goal was to reopen as soon as we can because we missed everyone and we love everyone here,” Jennette Timko from Gladstones said. “Everyone that comes in is family. We know everyone by name, and anyone we don’t know, we welcome them with open arms.”
After the Palisades Fire that took 12 lives and destroyed more than 5,400 homes, the community raised nearly $30,000 to support the staff who were suddenly out of the job.
The restaurant said it’s offering a 50% discount for all Malibu and Pacific Palisades residents as well as first responders for the month of July.
Duke’s Malibu, another famous seafood restaurant along PCH, plans to open its Barefoot Bar in late July, the restaurant announced Tuesday on social media. The exact date of its return is unknown.