Ruby’s founder may get nod for new Marina Park restaurant
The restaurateur who brought Ruby’s Diner, The Beachcomber Cafe and the Shake Shack to the Newport Beach area could soon set up a new restaurant at Marina Park.
On Tuesday, the Newport Beach City Council is expected to discuss awarding a 15-year lease to Ruby’s founder Doug Cavanaugh to operate The Lighthouse Cafe in a 3,069-square-foot space at the park on the Balboa Peninsula.
Cavanaugh, who opened the first Ruby’s Diner at the end of the Balboa Pier in 1982, also operates The Beachcomber Cafe and the Shake Shack at Crystal Cove.
The two-story restaurant at Marina Park, located in the sailing center building adjacent to the marina, has a first-floor kitchen, an indoor dining room and outdoor patio dining areas on both floors. The Lighthouse Cafe, 24 Carrots, High Spot Kitchen, Perry’s Pizza and Surfer Joe’s all expressed interest in the spot.
City staff members evaluated the proposals and decided The Lighthouse Cafe would be the best fit for Marina Park, according to a city staff report.
If approved by the council, the restaurant likely would be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.
“We envision The Lighthouse Cafe as a gathering place for locals in the morning, as well as a place for you to just relax and read your paper,” Cavanaugh wrote in his proposal to the city.
The lunch menu would feature soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches and grilled fish. The dinner menu would feature the same items, plus larger plates such as seafood pot pies, seafood pasta, grilled salmon, swordfish and steak fries.
Prices likely would average $10 at breakfast, $12 at lunch and $18 to $25 at dinner, the proposal states.
The city would charge the restaurant $80,000 per year for the lease.
The $38.3-million Marina Park, which is expected to open by January, is under construction. In addition to a restaurant, the development will have a 23-slip marina, a sailing and community center and a Girl Scout Leadership Center.
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Debt management fund
The City Council also will discuss creating a fund that would enable the council to set aside surplus revenue to fund the city’s pension liabilities and repay Civic Center debt.
Councilman Scott Peotter brought forth the proposal during the previous council meeting.
The city used bond revenue to fund the new $142.5-million Civic Center, meaning the city must pay back the money over several decades. The bonds accrue interest, creating an unnecessary expense for the city, Peotter said.
He hopes the city can save money by buying back the bonds early.
“By establishing a fund, we could put out offers on the bonds to see if we can buy them back without prepayment penalties,” he said. “We’d have the money to be able to do that.”
The council will hold a study session at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and its regular meeting at 7 p.m. at 100 Civic Center Drive.