Rock & Brews a Success, Despite Rocky Start

It’s been two months since Rock & Brews opened its doors in the Riviera Village, and South Bay residents are still lining up to get inside.

The new restaurant sits on the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Palos Verdes Boulevard, almost welcoming people into the village behind it.  With its highly visible location and the hype leading up to its opening, Rock & Brews is seeing some serious foot traffic.

Owner Jon Mesko said he was pleasantly surprised at the success the location has seen so far.

“I’m an optimist, but even I was a little shocked at the lines out the door,” Mesko said. “I thought I was prepared for that kind of response, but very few businesses actually are.”

Mesko started with a staff of about 70 and now has over more than 100 employees.  Minor changes are still in the works (like more blinds and a new menu), but overall, Mesko is pleased with the efforts of his staff, and thankful for the community support. 

“It’s frustrating because I want to make everybody happy,” he said. “But we are doing what we can and people have been very understanding.”

Although business seems to be booming now, Rock & Brews PCH had a rocky start.  Founders Mike Zislis, Dave Furano and KISS legend Gene Simmons had to appeal the denial of a modification to the property’s conditional use permit by the Torrance Planning Commission back in October.

Though the restaurant’s address is in Redondo Beach, the property is technically located within the city of Torrance.

By the time the permit was approved by the Torrance City Council in December, Rock & Brews was bound by restrictions that included a limit on how late the patio doors can be open and when alcohol can be served. 

The restrictions were partly in response to concerns from local residents. Neighbors of the restaurant and members of the Riviera Homeowners Association raised multiple issues, including parking and traffic problems, excess noise and the hazards of drunk driving. But despite these initial concerns, Mesko said the response from local residents has been positive so far.

“We’ve been surprised at how many neighbors come in here and say they are very happy to have us,” Mesko said. “Maybe they didn’t understand the concept at first, but now they can see we are responsible businessmen who put together a classy business.” 

Riviera Homeowners Association President Judi Brunetti isn’t convinced.  She was one of the voices opposing the construction of Rock & Brews, and she thinks there is more of a pattern of bad behavior than others may realize.

“There are still a lot of ongoing issues that we are looking at,” Brunetti said. “The biggest problems right now seem to be public drunkenness and urinating in public.”

Brunetti said that residents in the apartment buildings next door to the restaurant have complained of people stopping to urinate in their alleyway on at least four occasions.  None of the residents wished to be contacted for comment.

On Saturday June 15, a fight broke out between two patrons at around 8 :00 p.m. According to the Torrance Police Department, although the police were called, neither party decided to press charges and officers were able to clear the scene quickly.

Torrance police Sergeant Sgt. Robert Watt said that the incident is not yet representative of a pattern. 

“There have been no notable calls for service since the restaurant opened,” Watt said.  “Officers routinely patrol that area at night, and we are certainly aware that there is now an establishment with a lot of people there, but we haven’t needed to step up our presence at all.”

“The jury is still out,” Brunetti said, admitting that noise hasn’t been as much of a problem as she anticipated. “I know they are trying to work with the community and we are just hoping that the little problems can be solved.  We will just have to wait and see.”

In the meantime, it doesn’t look like business is slowing down for Rock & Brews.  Last month, Redondo Beach Mayor Steve Aspel visited the restaurant, and on June 15, the eatery premiered its full menu.

“We understand that the unknown is scary,” Mesko said. “But the response has been positive, and so far we’ve really been blessed.”