La Jolla restaurateur George Hauer unveiled plans for a new, casual, beach-oriented restaurant to inhabit half the Kellogg Building in La Jolla Shores. He was joined by Bill Kellogg, president of La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, Inc., in laying out details for redevelopment of Kellogg’s building at 2259 Avenida de la Playa before the La Jolla Shores Association March 11.
Once an independent market on the ground level, the retail space is now being remodeled for alternative uses, including Hauer’s new Galaxy Tacos eatery.
Noting the market’s been gone for three years and that finding a replacement grocer proved impossible due to an economic downturn and competition from big-box grocers, Kellogg said the new changes will “be real positive for that end of the street.”
Kellogg added the result will be an “upgraded building that will bring some more business to our little area.”
Kellogg said about half the ground-floor space of his building is being converted for use by the new restaurant specializing in tacos.
The other half, he said, will be taken up by Everyday California kayak rentals and apparel, which plans a new juice bar/retail store, with some room in the back of the building for storage of kayak trucks. Shores residents have complained of trucks transporting kayaks to and from the Shores boat launch being problematic, tracking in sand and adding to increasingly crowded traffic and parking, especially during the peak summertime.
Hauer, who’s owned upscale George’s at the Cove since 1984, quipped that he was talked into developing the new Spanish-style restaurant by his business partner, which he said “shows I have no intelligence at all.”
“My business partner has been obsessed with Mexican street food,” said Hauer, who added he was working with four neighbors who protested his acquiring a liquor license.
“We negotiated with them, and we’re taking the exhaust up 30 feet so cooking smells won’t bother the community,” Hauer said. “We’re doing everything we can to lessen our impact on the neighborhood.”
The restaurateur said other compromises have been made, such as cutting alcohol service off at 10 p.m. outside and 11 p.m. inside Galaxy Tacos, an hour before other establishments serving alcohol along the Shores commercial strip.
“We’re even spending $15,000 to put a sound barrier up around our equipment,” noted Hauer.
Hauer added there will be no live music, no broadcast music and no mariachis or anything of the like to cause noise disturbances.
“It’s going to be a casual place where people can feel comfortable coming in wearing their tank tops, shorts and flip-flops,” said Hauer, adding his cornerstone menu item, tacos, are planned to sell starting at $4.50.
Hauer said he’s not intending to make any kind of “design statement” with Galaxy Tacos, but added the eatery will be a hybrid of new and old architectural styles.
The restaurateur said construction is under way and that it is hoped the new eatery will be ready to open by mid-June for summer.
If not, joked Hauer, “I’m probably going to work for the city on their (Shores) sewer project,” which now has the Shores small commercial district torn up to replace aged water and sewer lines to prevent future funding and safeguard the ocean environment.