Well, that was quick.
Three months after shutting its doors, Salt Creek Grille, the 27-year-old Dana Point institution known for its upscale American cuisine, will rise from the ashes with new ownership and a spiffed-up look.
The menu, while featuring a few favorites, will offer new dishes with a California Cuisine-infused twist to its steakhouse roots. Although an official menu has yet to be revealed, steaks, seafood, crafted cocktails, seasonal salads and desserts will all make appearances. An executive chef will be selected within the coming months.
As for how the Pacific Coast Highway institution received a stay of execution, a regular patron decided to form a team to purchase the restaurant after hearing word about its closure.
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Jess Walker, a long-time resident of Dana Point and real estate developer with Master Builders of America, and business development executive Steve Vanderweide corralled several local building and hospitality colleagues to breathe new life into Salt Creek Grille, which, when opened, will be rechristened Salt Creek Grille Orange County. (The former owner, Tim McCune, still owns and operates Salt Creek Grille eateries in Valencia,as welll as Rumson and Princeton, New Jersey.)
New team members include Jeff Roberts (known for Sgt. Pepperoni’s Pizza with locations in Aliso Viejo, Irvine and Newport Beach), Eric Hawkey (designer and artist of Hawkey Designs), Reggie Robinson and Sri Divel.
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Vanderweide will lead operations with Roberts, Walker leading construction (the restaurant is currently undergoing a minor renovation) and Hawkey spearheading the new look and vibe of the space. Reggie Robinson, who has worked with such restaurant brands as STK, Root Rustic and RMD Group) has been tagged as general manager. And Divel, the restaurant’s former vice president of marketing, will oversee digital and traditional marketing.
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And for patrons still wondering what to do with their unused gift cards, wonder no more: Salt Creek Grille gift cards purchased during its former era will be honored at the new Salt Creek Grille Orange County.
Opening day is planned for June.
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