The Reel Inn Malibu is calm before the daily storm of loyal customers on a sunny day Feb. 2016. The rustic decor made the restaurant feel genuine, fans said. Photo courtesy of Zach Le
The tide might be turning for the owners of the Reel Inn Malibu.
The State of California would not continue to lease the site of the beloved seafood restaurant to its owners, Andy and Teddy Leonard, after it was devastated by the Palisades Fire, according to the Wall Street Journal.
With seemingly no hope of rebuilding, fans of the restaurant took to social media in mass numbers expressing disappointment in the state. Less than a week after the state shut down the possibility of rebuilding, the owners of the Reel Inn received a letter from Armando Quintero, director of California Department of Parks and Recreation, offering support in looking into the restaurant coming back to the state property.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to thoughtfully exploring a path forward that makes it possible for the Reel Inn to thrive on State Parks property while serving current and future generations,” Quintero wrote in the Sept. 5 letter to the Leonards.
This would not have been possible without the support of community members, Topanga R.E.A.C.H Founder Ashley DeLuis said.
“The community members are the only reason that this is turning around in a positive way,” DeLuis said.
State Supports Reel Inn Owners
State Park officials did not intend to cause distress to the Reel Inn owners, the department wrote in a Sept. 16 statement to the Graphic.
“Our desire has always been to continue to partner with The Reel Inn,” the department wrote. “State Parks regrets and has personally apologized to the Leonards for the distress caused.”
The statement said the department acknowledges the value the Reel Inn brought to the community.
“State Parks understands The Reel Inn has long stood as more than just a gathering place for fresh seafood and friendly faces — it has been a landmark rooted in the vitality, resilience, and character of the Malibu community,” the department wrote.
The site of the Reel Inn Malibu is fenced off. The land is a staging ground to restore the power grid for the Pacific Palisades and Malibu, according to the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power.
Fans of the restaurant said this message provides hope, but the letter to the Leonards said there is no timeline for when the rebuilding would occur.
“While we are not yet in a position to define a timeline, please know that our priority is to move collaboratively and amicably toward a solution that honors the Reel Inn’s legacy while respecting the stewardship responsibilities entrusted to us,” Quintero wrote.
In the meantime, LA water and power crews are using the land that previously included the site of the Reel Inn as a staging ground to restore the power grid in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu, according to the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power.
The Community Supports Rebuilding
While the statement Quintero wrote gave no timeline, fans of the seafood restaurant are willing to do whatever it takes to make rebuilding possible.
British music executive Miles Leonard said he would be willing to fly overseas to help rebuild one of his favorite restaurants.
“I said, ‘Look, if you’re rebuilding, and you need help, it’s not just money, and you need hands out there. I would come spend a month out there, roll my sleeves up and help,'” Leonard said.
Leonard said he thinks he is not the only one willing to go to these lengths.
“I know that other people would want to try and do everything in their power to make this happen,” Leonard said.
Leonard said he stopped by the Reel Inn during one of his work trips to Los Angeles and fell in love instantly. Ever since the first visit, Leonard would stop by on his bi-annual work trips, eventually bringing his whole family.
“It’s really gone through just being me on my own, to myself and my wife, to now my wife and my children,” Leonard said.
Leonard is not the only one who felt this type of connection to the seafood restaurant. DeLuis said it was more than just a place for her family to eat, it was like a home.
“We felt like it was our second kitchen, our second living room,” DeLuis said.
DeLuis’s child visits the Reel Inn Malibu. The restaurant served as a second home for the DeLuis family.
Along with DeLuis and Leonard, thousands of fans commented on Facebook posts about the restaurant not being able to rebuild.
With the optimistic update from State Parks, DeLuis said the community is ready to rally behind the Reel Inn, no matter what that looks like.
“Honestly, they could start out with a bare-roomed-shack and people would be lined up around the corner to support them,” DeLuis said.
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Contact Emma Martinez via email: emma.martinez@pepperdine.edu or by Instagram: @emmamartinezreport
