About three months after it first opened its doors, the Gaucho Beach concession stand hosted its official grand opening in Long Beach on Friday.
“We joke, we call this a concession stand because that’s where it started,” said Tom Modica, Long Beach City Manager. “We had to go through all these levels of permitting with our Coastal Commission partners. They did not want a restaurant, they said this had to be a concession stand. So, in our mind, this is a concession stand. It is the world’s greatest concession stand.”
The Scene
The 5,500-square-foot “stand” is part of the city’s plans to redevelop Long Beach’s coastline in preparation for the 2028 Olympic Games. It includes a two-story cafe with a patio and a rooftop deck.
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The $10.1 million project to rebuild the facility began in 2019 but was delayed by contractor issues.
The project was funded with money from the city’s Tidelands Fund, which is primarily oil revenue. The funds are used mostly for improvements in the city’s tidal areas.
The “concession stand” is operated by Gaucho Grill, an Argentinean restaurant with locations across Southern California. Part of the permitting agreement with the California Coastal Commission is that seating is open to the public.
