Restaurateur Alicia Cox has had, as she describes it, an “incredible happenstance career.”
“I love to create. I love hospitality. I love food and beverage,” Cox told the Business Journal. “I have always followed my vision and heart. There was never an overall plan for me to do what I have done.”
What Cox has done for Orange County’s dining scene — including redefining how people dine at the beach — is impressive, which is why she has been named the Business Journal’s Restaurateur of the Year for 2025.
Cox, 45, has a remarkable gastronomic resume.
In 2011, she launched her first restaurant, SeaLegs Wine Bar in Huntington Beach, then opened SeaLegs LAX in Terminal 2 at Los Angeles International Airport. Next, Cox opened SeaSalt Woodfire Grill, which earned her five Golden Foodie Awards from the Orange County Restaurant Association.
She later partnered with Bolsa Chica State Beach officials to transform its concession stands into culinary destinations.
Beyond restaurants, she has launched her own wine label and AliciaRita margarita mix on top of writing her first cookbook.
Opportunity of a Lifetime
In 2016, Cox won over state officials with her vision of turning the dilapidated Bolsa Chica concessions into the city’s “living room.”
“When the state approached me, I went to Bolsa Chica and realized it was the opportunity of a lifetime,” recalled Cox, who founded her hospitality firm Prjkt Restaurant Group upon submitting her bid.
She hoped to win control of one food stand.
“I bid on Bolsa with a goal of hoping to win one concession, and I won all four,” said Cox, CEO of Prjkt Restaurant Group.
Her proposal called for renaming the food stands to incorporate her ethos and branding.
She created SeaLegs at the Beach, SeaSalt Beachside Burger, Beach City Provisions and Pacific Kitchen.
She reimagined the definition of concessions, creating culinary destinations that attract both locals and visitors. SeaLegs, in particular, is a popular one-acre hangout that boasts live music, comedy and upscale dining on the sand.
SeaLegs’ evolving menu features street tacos, chicken Caesar wraps, poke bowls, poke nachos, loaded fries, chimichurri steak kabobs, burgers and fries.
Running multiple concepts took a toll in 2019, so Cox made the difficult decision to sell her two original restaurants just before the pandemic hit. Around the same time, the state sought a bidder for concessions at Huntington State Beach.
Cox won the bid and signed a 10-year agreement to expand her seaside operations to a three-mile stretch along Huntington Beach’s shoreline.
She, again, overhauled the existing concession stands, creating Huntington Beach House, Sandbox Beach Essentials and Sahara Sandbar & Pizza. Another location – California Cabana – is scheduled to open in 2026.
Betting on the beach has paid off.
The venues, most of them open seasonally, have become popular hangouts for tourists and locals, as well as go-to spots for private seaside celebrations, including weddings, corporate events and music festivals.
Before taking over the food stands, they made about $80,000 a year. She’s increased the revenue more than 100-fold as they now generate roughly $8 million to $10 million a year.
“I was betting on Huntington Beach. I was betting on myself,” Cox said last fall after she was honored last year at the Business Journal Women in Business Awards event. “The risk to reward was big, but the reward was worth it.”
As always, Cox is looking to the future, devising new ways to improve on her already successful buffet of restaurants.
“My main target is to do more cultural things on the beach,” she said. “I want to build events here. I want to do a dinner on the beach with a speaker and live music. Also a Day of the Dead festival. And I want to showcase different chefs and cuisine.”
Cox paused, then stated: “It’s been an incredible journey—a culinary fairy tale.”
