Laguna Beach is our home, and the community, our heart. Recently, there have been complaints from neighbors of Las Brisas regarding the outdoor tents we have set up in the parking lot to ensure our guests have a comfortable dining experience. While we hear and understand their concerns, we wanted to share the real challenges our business is up against during this unprecedented time. We share this in hopes of creating more understanding amongst the community, and to help keep our doors at Las Brisas open through the pandemic, and well beyond.
On March 19, for the first time in its history, Las Brisas was forced to shut down its existing dining operations due to the statewide COVID-19 order. We suffered historic losses from March through May, but worked diligently to keep some revenue coming in with limited to-go sales so we could keep as many of our employees working as possible. At the beginning of the summer, we were allowed to use our parking lot for outdoor dining. Because we were not allowed to use our indoor space, outdoor dining was the only way to safely serve our guests. To protect guests from the summer sun and weather and to maintain a safe distance between guests, we bought tents that were sturdy enough to remain upright in the prevailing breezes.
In mid-September, we were allowed to open up for 25% capacity seating indoors. County CEO Frank Kim cautioned that there is a risk that we will move back to a more restrictive occupancy before December. This will restrict us to outdoor-only dining again. As you might imagine, the shifting restrictions have been difficult to navigate as a business, and there is no playbook on how to retain our employees and survive.
While our patrons are happy that we have been able to weather the rapidly changing restrictions, a few neighbors complain that their view over our parking lot is impaired by the temporary dining tents. When we were told our original tent was too large, we immediately responded by removing the large tent and erecting smaller tents. When we were recently shown pictures that the new tents still blocked a portion of our neighbors’ view over the parking lot, we rotated the tents 90-degrees and removed the side walls, which allows visibility through the tents to the ocean and palms. To accommodate the neighbors, the Planning Commission told us last Thursday night that we would be restricted to using umbrellas only. While umbrellas are good at keeping rain off your head, they do nothing to protect from the wind. They also make it impossible to keep the heaters lit.
Our only option is to provide outdoor service. The inability to provide sides to the tents makes dining less enjoyable, and the colder temperatures add to the discomfort. We have worked very hard to maintain our workforce, the quality of our food and service, and our enjoyable customer experience. This is not a permanent condition. It will last only as long as the COVID-19 pandemic.
If we are not able to provide a comfortable and enjoyable dining experience for our patrons, most of whom are Laguna Beach residents, we are certain that the COVID-19 pandemic will outlast our ability to continue. With the very real risk of losing our indoor capacity again in the near future, we are imploring those in our community to support us however you can through the downturn, so we can continue serving you for years to come.
Las Brisas Management
It’s such a hard time for restaurants. If we do not support them, places like Las Brisas that we love will not be here when the pandemic is over. Its a shame that they have to deal with this extra stress during this time.
I’m so disappointed in those who complained their views have been TEMPORARILY and PARTIALLY obscured. This selfishness and entitlement is not indicative of the Laguna in which 3 generations of my family grew up. Every one of us has had to make TEMPORARY adjustments in our lifestyles due to this historic pandemic. It’s time for the Las Brisas neighbors to sweep their selfishness and entitlement under the rug, be true to Laguna, stop being part of the problem and become part of the solution.