Last month, the City of Santa Monica has terminated lease negotiations with California Roadhouse for the former Rusty’s Surf Ranch space on the Santa Monica Pier, saying the company failed to accept employee protection provisions required by the City Council, including worker recall requirements. For more on the council action, click here.
Let’s Work Together to Reopen 256 Santa Monica Pier and Bring Jobs, Live Music, and New Energy Back to the Santa Monica Pier.
Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
I respectfully invite you to join me in open dialogue and good-faith negotiations so that, together, we may reach an agreement to reopen 256 Santa Monica Pier.
For too long, 256 Santa Monica Pier has remained vacant, costing jobs, revenue, and opportunity.
Before this prolonged vacancy, the Santa Monica Pier Corporation—and later the Santa Monica City Council—conducted a competitive selection process that attracted more than 100 inquiries, resulted in nine proposals, and included approximately nine months of due diligence. As a result of this meticulous process, they unanimously selected California Roadhouse as the new tenant for the Santa Monica Pier.
During the full public evaluation and selection process, City Council members concluded that California Roadhouse’s final proposal presented the best restaurant and live entertainment concept, the best food and beverage program, the best offer, the best operator, and the City’s best opportunity to revitalize the Santa Monica Pier, preserve jobs and economic activity, and promote long-term economic growth.
Over the course of four public hearings, more than 100 supporters turned out in support of California Roadhouse and its founder, Sean Ahaus. Dozens of speakers testified to Sean Ahaus’s proven ability to successfully operate large hospitality venues and to his exceptional honesty, integrity, and character. We remain grateful for that vote of confidence and believe that, by working together, we can fulfill the vision that inspired that unanimous decision.
California Roadhouse has always been committed to offering employment opportunities to former Pier restaurant workers while creating new jobs for the Santa Monica community. Our vision includes bringing live music back to the Pier, creating opportunities for local artists and musicians, and creating a welcoming gathering place for great food, exceptional beverages, and memorable experiences.
We share far more common goals than differences.
If we move forward together, we would welcome the opportunity to begin hosting community pop-up events featuring local artists, live music, great food, and exceptional beverages while building momentum toward reopening California Roadhouse.
California Roadhouse respects workers’ legal rights. We believe employees should remain free to decide for themselves whether to be represented by a union, free from coercion or undue interference. That has always been our position. Our commitment remains to respect workers’ rights, create jobs, and build a successful business that benefits workers, visitors, and the Santa Monica community.
Our goal has always been open dialogue, good-faith negotiation, and resolution—not litigation. Any references to legal action were intended only to preserve our legal rights should litigation become necessary as a last resort.
Before concluding our differences are irreconcilable, we owe it to the workers, the Santa Monica Pier, and the Santa Monica community to determine whether those differences arise from genuine disagreement or simply an incomplete understanding of one another’s perspectives. We believe the best way to answer that question is through an open and honest conversation.
If supporting workers, creating jobs, bringing live music back to the Pier, and strengthening the Santa Monica community are goals we share, then let us work together and begin dialogue to achieve them.
Every member of the City Council already has my direct cell phone number, and I hope you’ll use it. I welcome the opportunity to speak and meet with you personally so we can better understand one another, identify common ground, and work toward a resolution that benefits workers, artists, musicians, local businesses, visitors, and Santa Monica.
I remain optimistic that a mutually beneficial resolution is possible and would welcome the opportunity to begin that conversation.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I sincerely hope to hear from you soon and look forward to working together for the benefit of the Santa Monica Pier and the Santa Monica community.
Respectfully yours,
Sean Ahaus
Founder
Author
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