Newport Beach's Trendy Restaurant Scene Explodes

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — Restaurants are white-hot in Newport Beach right now, according to several in the know, including Steve Rosansky, president and CEO of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce.

He told Patch that he's been hearing fantastic news from local restaurants.

"I’ve heard form high-end, white-tablecloth type places, and even below that, that they all seem to be doing very well," he said. "Some of them are reporting record sales, even over pre-pandemic levels. The ones that were able to do outdoor seating seem to have fared the best. Now that they have ability to seat indoors and outdoors, their occupancy doubled or more than doubled."

He attributed this to a variety of factors, including the pent-up demand to eat out and be social after being cooped up for the last year and a half. Also, folks in Newport Beach have a "lot of discretionary money to spend" because they haven't gotten back into traveling yet and may not be buying new clothes because so many are still working from home, he added.

Survival of the fittest culinary style has also taken place as new eateries arise from the ashes of restaurants that were forced to shut down completely.

For example, Mama’s Comfort Food & Cocktails (which was formerly Josh Slocum’s) on Mariner’s Mile reopened for a short time during the lockdown before closing permanently. A new business took up residence there: a private club called The House. It will offer food, cocktails and music to members.

Necessity Was The Mother Of Invention

Smaller establishments, such as the Newport Beach location of Kean Coffee, had to reinvent themselves during the pandemic and lockdown. That meant a whole new business model with delivery as a priority. Kean Coffee created an app during the lockdown. And when it reopened fully recently, it's been busier than it ever was before the pandemic, manager Michael Richardson told Patch.

The app continues to bring in an additional stream of revenue — an extra 10 percent, he added.

Others Also See Sales Records Breaking

Those behind the scenes are also seeing restaurants break sales records.

Paul Hadfield, founder and CEO of the Hadfield Group, which serves the local hospitality industry, told Patch he's also seeing the upside of the pent-up, eating-out demand finally being satiated.

Hadfield's company designs and implements custom payment tools for restaurants and small grocery stores. Its headquarters has been in Newport Beach since 2019. (The company was formerly known as Revzi.)

He declined to identify his clients but said that his company manages more than $100 million in annual transactions for local businesses, including restaurants and small grocery stores. The pandemic did not slow that down.

Now that everything's opened up, diners in Newport Beach are especially on the lookout for memorable experiences, he told Patch. He cited examples of such places: the great vibe at Shorebirds, the top-notch service at Marché Moderne, the eclectic cocktail menu at CdM Restaurant and the local flavor of Kean Coffee.

"The pent-up demand is real," Hadfield said. "Locals and tourists alike have found their way back to the incredible dining scene here, which is only getting better as local chefs and restaurateurs continue to expand their footprints and push creative and culinary boundaries."

The Hadfield Group is now in “full-expansion mode,” Hadfield said.

“We're adding support, sales and marketing as we look to double down on what's been working most: becoming a partner to our clients, as opposed to just a vendor— and investing in their success," he said.

Restaurants Are Hiring

Despite the resurgent popularity of dining out, Hadfield said he's seen a common challenge in the local restaurant industry: the quest to find and hire new employees.

“Many people in hospitality were forced to leave the industry last year, and now that restaurants are growing again, there are big shoes to fill,” he said. “There are incredible opportunities to partner with brilliant people and growing companies in this industry, and I hope that more people find their way back, or into, the industry.”