6 days Ago
Duke’s Malibu. | Los Angeles Times via Getty Images. Duke’s Malibu hopes to reopen this summer after suffering damage in the 2025 Palisades fire and February mudslides Beloved oceanfront Malibu restaurant Duke’s Malibu hopes to reopen this summer after suffering burn damage from the January 2025 Palisades Fire and even more damage from subsequent mudslides in February.
Duke’s confirmed its plans to reopen in an Instagram post on March 25, describing the mudslide damage as “extensive” but that the restaurant would welcome guests back “in a few months.” The reopening confirmation comes in response to reporting that Duke’s had closed permanently after a WARN notice was posted regarding the layoff of 126 employees, effective March 28. The WARN Act, which stands for Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, requires employers to give a 60-day notice to employees before an impending mass layoff, closure, or relocation; EDD, or the Employment Development Department, maintains a publicly accessible database of WARN notices on its website.
On March 25, an automated layoff tracker on X posted the notice that the restaurant would permanently close. In the Duke’s statement, the restaurant clarified that it plans to hire back its employees. In a follow-up statement to SF Gate, which first reported that the restaurant had closed permanently, Jackie Reed, the CEO of TS Restaurants, of the group behind Duke’s, says that the restaurant was “forced to enact layoffs” due to the ongoing temporary closure.
Eater LA has reached out for further comment. Duke’s has occupied its seaside home on Pacific Coast Highway since 1996, but the Malibu Times reports that there has been a restaurant on the property since at least 1915 when it operated as a seafood spot called the Las Flores Inn. In 1944, it became the Sea Lion Restaurant; 51 years later, in 1996, Duke’s opened.
In its 29 years of operation, Duke’s has cemented itself as one of Malibu’s essential restaurants, serving generations of locals and tourists who seek it out for dinner with a side of ocean views..
