Sunsets and StillWater owners to take over former Jolly Roger site in Harbor
An sign hanging outside the former-location of the Jolly Roger announces that John and Damian Collins, owners of StillWater and Sunsets, plan to open a new concept next summer. Photo by Andrea Papagianis
The wharf-side building at the OC Dana Point Harbor was home to the Jolly Roger for 40 years. Owners of StillWater and Sunsets signed a lease with the county last month. Photo by Andrea Papagianis
The Harbor restaurant site has sat vacant since September. Owners of StillWater and Sunsets are slated to open a new eatery in the summer of 2014. Photo by Andrea Papagianis
A notice of construction hangs on the doorway of the Harbor restaurant location that will be taken over by John and Damian Collins, owners of StillWater and Sunsets. Photo by Andrea Papagianis
As part of their leasing agreement, John and Damian Collins will revamp the former home of the Jolly Roger. Photo by Andrea Papagianis
After 40 years as the Jolly Roger, local restauranteurs John and Damian Collins will rehab the Harbor building and open a new restaurant concept next summer. Photo by Andrea Papagianis
By Andrea Papagianis
After 40 years, a waterfront restaurant at the Dana Point Harbor is getting new tenants and a facelift, as local restaurateurs are set to add to their flavor portfolio with a new concept at the wharf location.
John and Damian Collins, the owners of the 1920s-style speakeasy StillWater Spirits & Sounds in Dana Point and the tropical-themed Sunsets restaurants in Capistrano Beach and San Clemente, will take over the vacant harbor location, called home by the Jolly Roger for four decades.
“Our plan is to create a place to enjoy delicious food, harbor views and unique libations in a friendly, customer-centric environment,” Damian Collins said in a statement.
The Aloha Restaurant Inc. eatery shut its doors to the Dana Point location in September, after opting to not renew a lease with the county. A second location in the Oceanside Harbor is still operating.
Last month, the Orange County Board of Supervisors approved a 10-year lease with the Collinses of Pacific Harbor Hospitality Group with the option to renew the lease for two additional decade-long periods. The group agreed to spend at least $800,000 on renovations and upgrades to the site.
Supervisor John Moorlach raised concern that the county was requiring the tenants to make improvements shortly before the county’s planned $140 million harbor revitalization begins.
Landside construction is expected to start in 2014, with the new construction of buildings and the rehabbing of existing structures near the fleet docks. Dana Point Harbor director Brad Gross assured the board that the county’s revitalization plans would “dovetail” with the tenant’s planned improvements.
As approved, the restaurant group will refurbish the 6,000-square-foot, two-story building, which was constructed in the early-1970s. Upgrades include remodeling the restaurant’s interior and restrooms, adding an upper deck and installing an elevator to meet code-compliances set forth in the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The county will provide an allowance for tenant improvements, including $95,000 to offset costs for installing the elevator, and about $30,000 to remove furniture, fixtures and equipment left behind by the previous tenants.
According to a staff report, the operating manager of the property, Vintage Marina Partners, sent information to “successful” area restaurants deemed compatible with existing tenants prior to the Jolly Roger lease expiration. They received one response, from the Collins Family.
“We are honored to be the first location to be renovated as part of the county’s redevelopment of the Dana Point Harbor,” Collins said. “As we move forward, we want to ensure our metamorphosis of the former Jolly Roger building will be in line with, as well as set the tone for, future renovations at the Harbor.”
For now, the group is in the early planning phases, said Natasha Haubold, a company representative. The name and concept have yet to be finalized, but the Collinses are planning for a summer 2014 opening. Haubold said the opening date will be dependent on the renovations and the planning process.