Plagued by disaster, an iconic oceanfront restaurant in Malibu closes
Plagued by disaster, an iconic oceanfront restaurant in Malibu closes
by FarleyElliott
30 Comments
FarleyElliott
Going back to my Eater LA scoop roots for a second to say: It looks like Duke’s Malibu is laying off staff.
The restaurant made it through the Palisades Fire and was hit the next month with a mudslide, furthering their damage. Now 126 employees are quietly being laid off at the restaurant, and a ‘permanent closure’ WARN notice was submitted to state officials.
Edited to add: The CEO got back to me, said they’re hopeful to reopen down the line but no date in place (they’d like summer, but challenges are still ahead).
Lettucedrip
Dang what a shame.
Informal_Treat4634
Wow, fucking terrible. Loved that place, first restaurant I ate at in LA.
Advanced-Prototype
That’s a bummer. I love Dukes and the Barefoot Bar. I was in Malibu over the weekend and wanted to go to Duke’s with friends to support them but found out it was closed due to the mudslide.
I think all the restaurants in that area are suffering after the Palisades Fire.
jey_613
Oh no! This is so sad
FunLisa1228
So sad. All of the places that Joe Public was still welcome along the coast are closing.
west_coast_infinity
Duke’s was my go-to Malibu restaurant. I was really looking forward to supporting them when they reopened.
mvpofla
Awful
_its_a_SWEATER_
Wow. The memories there.
---TheDudeAbides---
Still got the one in HB.
Greedy_Nectarine_233
Damn, another icon bites the dust. Had some really really special family memories there. Food was actually pretty damn good
_thepeopleschampion
Horrible. I know some of the people that worked there. It wasn’t just the fires. The recent rains also caused mass flooding and the restaurant was pretty damaged.
j-whiskey
Sucks!
First the Reel Inn. Now Dukes.
Sad face.
[deleted]
Lots of great memories there. Very sad.
Duckfoot2021
Damn. First Moonshadows, now Dukes
schw4161
My Dad took me here when I was 15 and it left an impression on me I couldn’t shake off until I finally moved here 15 years later. It was the first place we went to eat after the cross country move. This sucks.
ibentmywookieeee
I’m going to really miss this place 😢 💔
FarleyElliott
Some hopeful news!
The CEO of TS Restaurants got back to me. They confirmed the layoffs and the closure, but said that they’d like to try to reopen after all. There’s no date for that (they’re eyeing summer, if all goes well) and obviously a ton of hurdles still left to clear, but would be great to see them back in action after all. I hope it’s not a Chego situation, where reopening becomes a challenge.
etherlore
It says they are planning to reopen this summer.
“Jackie Reed, CEO of TS Restaurants, confirmed the layoffs and current closure to SFGATE, though there are hopeful plans to reopen the restaurant. For now, the 126 layoffs will move forward. “Due to the continued closure, we were forced to enact layoffs for the majority of our Dukeʻs Malibu employees,” Reed said. We appreciate all of the community support and it is important that our community knows we will be open as soon as possible.” There is no current date for reopening, but Reed is hopeful for a summer return.”
Zestyclose_Koala_593
This is like when the Arclight went out of business. Tragic punch to the gut.
ibeckman671
Sounds like the others are all staying open at least
Nervous_Dig4722
Dukes was a mainstay in LA or greater LA – will be missed
DoktorJeep
Mel Gibson in shambles.
WittyClerk
NOOOOO, Moonshadows, now Dukes?? 🙁 Those were my two faves.
There is a Dukes in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, but it’s just not the same.
johnny_c12
These articles have been misleading at best. Yes, heavy layoffs. But they’re still hopeful to eventually reopen
Hey_Laaady
As others have mentioned, it looks like it is going to reopen at some point, with any luck.
I haven’t been down in that area since the fires. But when we eventually get to the parts of Malibu that are accessible, we should all make a point to patronize businesses there as much as possible. Same with Altadena.
thepotatoeaterz
It will reopen.
Partigirl
Such a shame. As a kid I remember going to it when it was the Malibu Sea Lion, (still have the matches). The first time view as a kid was amazing.
Such an important part of Malibu along with Moonshadows. Here’s hoping Dukes reopens quickly. ♡
bellybella88
Oh no. The patio was the best with sea lions on the rocks watching you eat.
981flacht6
Their website says they aren’t permanently closing. They posted it the same day as this article.
30 Comments
Going back to my Eater LA scoop roots for a second to say: It looks like Duke’s Malibu is laying off staff.
The restaurant made it through the Palisades Fire and was hit the next month with a mudslide, furthering their damage. Now 126 employees are quietly being laid off at the restaurant, and a ‘permanent closure’ WARN notice was submitted to state officials.
Edited to add: The CEO got back to me, said they’re hopeful to reopen down the line but no date in place (they’d like summer, but challenges are still ahead).
Dang what a shame.
Wow, fucking terrible. Loved that place, first restaurant I ate at in LA.
That’s a bummer. I love Dukes and the Barefoot Bar. I was in Malibu over the weekend and wanted to go to Duke’s with friends to support them but found out it was closed due to the mudslide.
I think all the restaurants in that area are suffering after the Palisades Fire.
Oh no! This is so sad
So sad. All of the places that Joe Public was still welcome along the coast are closing.
Duke’s was my go-to Malibu restaurant. I was really looking forward to supporting them when they reopened.
Awful
Wow. The memories there.
Still got the one in HB.
Damn, another icon bites the dust. Had some really really special family memories there. Food was actually pretty damn good
Horrible. I know some of the people that worked there. It wasn’t just the fires. The recent rains also caused mass flooding and the restaurant was pretty damaged.
Sucks!
First the Reel Inn. Now Dukes.
Sad face.
Lots of great memories there. Very sad.
Damn. First Moonshadows, now Dukes
My Dad took me here when I was 15 and it left an impression on me I couldn’t shake off until I finally moved here 15 years later. It was the first place we went to eat after the cross country move. This sucks.
I’m going to really miss this place 😢 💔
Some hopeful news!
The CEO of TS Restaurants got back to me. They confirmed the layoffs and the closure, but said that they’d like to try to reopen after all. There’s no date for that (they’re eyeing summer, if all goes well) and obviously a ton of hurdles still left to clear, but would be great to see them back in action after all. I hope it’s not a Chego situation, where reopening becomes a challenge.
It says they are planning to reopen this summer.
“Jackie Reed, CEO of TS Restaurants, confirmed the layoffs and current closure to SFGATE, though there are hopeful plans to reopen the restaurant. For now, the 126 layoffs will move forward. “Due to the continued closure, we were forced to enact layoffs for the majority of our Dukeʻs Malibu employees,” Reed said. We appreciate all of the community support and it is important that our community knows we will be open as soon as possible.” There is no current date for reopening, but Reed is hopeful for a summer return.”
This is like when the Arclight went out of business. Tragic punch to the gut.
Sounds like the others are all staying open at least
Dukes was a mainstay in LA or greater LA – will be missed
Mel Gibson in shambles.
NOOOOO, Moonshadows, now Dukes?? 🙁 Those were my two faves.
There is a Dukes in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, but it’s just not the same.
These articles have been misleading at best. Yes, heavy layoffs. But they’re still hopeful to eventually reopen
As others have mentioned, it looks like it is going to reopen at some point, with any luck.
I haven’t been down in that area since the fires. But when we eventually get to the parts of Malibu that are accessible, we should all make a point to patronize businesses there as much as possible. Same with Altadena.
It will reopen.
Such a shame. As a kid I remember going to it when it was the Malibu Sea Lion, (still have the matches). The first time view as a kid was amazing.
Such an important part of Malibu along with Moonshadows. Here’s hoping Dukes reopens quickly. ♡
Oh no. The patio was the best with sea lions on the rocks watching you eat.
Their website says they aren’t permanently closing. They posted it the same day as this article.
https://preview.redd.it/675y7z99vyre1.png?width=729&format=png&auto=webp&s=ef281c3e4e862691ac24ab26a4345dc5ad96275c
[https://www.dukesmalibu.com/](https://www.dukesmalibu.com/)