In 2019, months before the pandemic would force restaurant lockdowns, Alicia Cox made a bold move. She sold her two restaurants, SeaLegs Wine Bar and SeaSalt Woodfire Grill, to focus on her upscale coastal concessions in Huntington Beach.
The gamble paid off.
Since then, she has expanded the beachside stands from four to seven locations in Surf City, with an eighth, Âset to open next year. Her 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.
“I was betting on Huntington Beach. I was betting on myself,” Cox told the Business Journal. “The risk to reward was big, but the reward was worth it.”
The once dilapidated food stands now generate roughly $8 million to $10 million in annual revenue, a more than 100-fold increase from the $80,000 they generated before she took over. In 2019, she launched her own wine label. This year, she introduced AliciaRita margarita mix and plans to launch a cookbook in early December.
Her entrepreneurial vision of transforming how people enjoy the California coastline is why she was honored Oct. 30 at the Business Journal’s 30th annual Women in Business Awards.
“We’re recreating recreation at the beach,” said Cox, CEO and founder of Prjkt Restaurant Group.
Beach Food Goes from Stale Nachos to Crab Cakes
Cox, known for her female-centric, “Hampton-ish” themed wine bar, SeaLegs, beat out 20 other bidders for a contract to revitalize four concessions along Bolsa Chica State Beach. Her pitch to replace stale nachos and hot dogs with tri-tip, crab cakes and piña coladas won over state officials.
In 2016, four years after opening her flagship SeaLegs Wine Bar, she launched SeaLegs at the Beach, Pacific Kitchen, SeaSalt Beachside Burger and Beach City Provisions. She also opened her second inland restaurant in Orange County, SeaSalt Woodfire Grill. The year before, she opened a second SeaLegs Wine Bar at LAX.
But running multiple concepts took a toll in 2019, as the state sought a bidder for concessions at Huntington State Beach. Cox made her bid, knowing she’d need to sacrifice her two other restaurants. Closing and selling them broke her heart.
“I cried for a month. It hurt my soul,” said Cox.
By the time COVID hit, she had won the bid for Huntington State Beach concessions. She spent the lockdown envisioning her next food stands. In 2021, she opened Sandbox, a sundries shop in a shipping container, and Huntington Beach House, which is open year-round.
Sahara Sandbar, a pizza-focused spot named after her teenage daughter, followed in 2022.
Special Events at the Beach
The state contract included one key perk: Cox’s hospitality firm had exclusive rights to provide food and beverage services for events at the beach. But she soon discovered that no one was banging at the door looking to host parties along the shore.
“There were no events on the sand,” she recalled.
Recognizing the revenue potential, Cox sought promoters to bring events to Huntington Beach. Once a few signed on, the events business “really took off and grew,” she said.
Today, the concessions host multiple weekly events during the summer season, accessible to all. She has accommodated all budgets – from $5,000 to $1 million events.
“We’ll make it work for you,” Cox said.
With the event business in high demand, Cox plans to open her eighth and final beach venue next year. It will be dedicated to special events. Once open, her vision will be complete, as she sees her concessions becoming the “living room” of Huntington Beach.
“My new thing is creating this cultural epicenter that showcases who we are as Southern California,” she said.
