Life & Work with Doug of Newport Beach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Doug.

Hi Doug , it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
We were first notified of an opportunity to bid on the Shake Shack from the state. We took a look and thought it would be a great opportunity. Then we found out that it would include the Beachcomber property. We jumped on it. We loved the idea of operating a piece of California history. Since its inception, date shakes were the most popular item on the menu, and we brought those back as part of the menu to stay true to the original concept. We loved the idea of keeping the place nostalgic and as it was intended. Where else can you go and get that gorgeous view with delicious burgers, fries, and shakes at such a reasonable price?

With the Lighthouse, we learned that the city was going to be building a park along the bay, and they were looking for restaurants go within the lighthouse itself, and create a concept around the architecture. We submitted our bid and thankfully we were selected to build our idea in this beautiful space. We absolutely the space and the restaurant we’ve created; the view is amazing and we love being able to work in the community and welcome guests from all over.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The big challenge were the remodel. We had to gut the entire interior of the shack and restore it. The termites were the ones keeping it standing when we first took over so we had to redo everything. It was a very intensive process. Then came the next issue: there wasn’t sufficient power to have a hood to provide exhaust for cooking burgers so we had to dig a trench about a quarter of a mile all the way up to the entry of the park. Then we had to build the interior, put the whole thing together, create the parking lot, expand the patio, and that became what you see today. Since it opened, we’ve also had several visitors to the Shake Shack, and by visitors I mean cars. There have been literal car crashes where cars come barreling through the parking lot and have crashed into the building; one event went to far that it went off the hill. But even with all of this, it’s been pretty smooth and we consider ourselves very lucky in twenty years to have only had a handful of bumps along the way.

With the Lighthouse, we had a bit of struggle in the beginning. For the first few months, we weren’t able to get a liquor license due to a protest. This was something that definitely upset our dinner crowd quite a bit, but it didn’t last too long and once we were able to get the license and serve cocktails things have been smooth and now guests are happy and enjoy the atmosphere.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’ve had a fascination my entire life with significant restaurants that have historic architecture and deep roots in the community. The first example is Nantucket Island where I restored a captain’s mansion back in 1980, it was a fabulous project. It had a 200 seat restaurant that became an icon. Then we moved on to restoring the 1940’s Ruby’s on the end of the Balboa Pier. We restored it to its absolute original condition, and then created a menu to go along with it. We went on to build more Ruby’s on other piers, and that became our familiar territory. Then we recreated a restaurant in one of the cottages in Crystal Cove. It was a new concept, but it was built and created around the idea of what you would have expected to see there in the 1930-1940s. Often people are brought in by the view and their expectations end there. But we take a lot of pride in also offering delicious food and drinks that keep people coming back. We never cut corners and go to great lengths to make sure our quality is there.

The same can be said of the Lighthouse. All of our restaurants since we started was to create a restaurant in beautiful, unique locations. That is what really attracted us to this concept and project. The view is spectacular and we wanted to be a part of the gorgeous space that went along with it. We set out to create a restaurant that would become a staple for Newport Beach dining. While we want to appeal to the local community, we want to be a restaurant for families and date night couples no matter where you live. Our restaurant is inviting and has a great view that everyone should experience. We aim to offer an elevated level of dining experience that is still family friendly and comfortable rather than stuffy.

What are your plans for the future?
Our plans for the future are to stay the course and continue to deliver on the concepts we have created. We get a lot of people that love the concept, the food, the atmosphere and we take a lot of great pride in that. With us coming up on 20 years of service, we do plan on sprucing up the place. We want to give the Shake Shack a refresh and hopefully adding a bit more space to our parking lot. Down the road, we are always looking for new opportunities along the coast.

Big things are in store for the Lighthouse. The next exciting feature for this space is to put a full bar in the main dining room. We haven’t had the option to do that until now and we are going to create a new local watering hole where guests can gather and enjoy the view and really good drinks! We also did something really cool recently for the 10th anniversary of the Lighthouse. We took the 1930s Bubbles Supper Club and Nightclub concept and brought it back for the big party. With that party concept came the resurrection of a few dishes from that era that we brought into the Lighthouse. They were so popular that they stayed on our menu today. Those dishes specifically are the Holy Cow and the Heavenly Mushroom. Both flavorful and decadent. They’re very popular and simple dishes that we love as much as our guests love.

Pricing:

• Shakes- $8.99
• Cove Deluxe Burger- $13.99
• Cinnamon Roll French Toast Combo- $14.99
• Holy Cow- 24
• Heavenly Mushroom- 17

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lighthousenb.com/; https://crystalcoveshakeshack.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lighthousecafenb/ ; https://www.instagram.com/crystalcoveshakeshack/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090130598068# ; https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100061055874243#