Quick Take
After the June closure of Ella’s at the Airport, the Watsonville Airport is reviewing three proposals from restaurateurs to take over the restaurant space, in hopes of opening by the end of the year. The selected candidate will negotiate a lease with the airport and require city council approval, with a full liquor license also available for purchase.
The Watsonville Airport is looking for a new tenant for the restaurant space on its landing following the sudden closure of Ella’s at the Airport in June. Airport officials are considering three applications, with the hope that one tenant will be able to open before the end of the year..
Because the city owns the airport and the restaurant space, there are multiple steps to selecting a new tenant. The airport began the search soon after Ella’s closure. Advertisements in The Pajaronian in June and July solicited applications by July 22.
While airport officials received initial interest from around 10 people, only three completed applications, said Airport Director Rayvon Williams. Those three passed the initial muster and were invited to submit business proposals for the restaurant. Williams’ administrative analyst, Alexandra Aguado, is leading the process.
If the airport can find a successful applicant, it will begin lease negotiations with the new tenant by September, said Williams. After terms are agreed upon, the city council will need to approve the candidate.
All three applicants are relatively local to the area and own businesses within 30 miles of the airport, said Williams. He declined to share more details about the applicants.
“It’s in our best interest to get somebody in there as soon as possible,” said Williams.
The 2,400-square-foot restaurant and cocktail lounge is located in the airport municipal building, and boasts a 430-square-foot patio where guests can watch the planes take off and land on the nearby strip. Ella’s at the Airport occupied the space from 2014 to this year, following Props Restaurant and Flight Lounge from 2012 to 2013, and Zuniga’s Mexican Food Restaurant from 1989 to 2012.
While Ella’s at the Airport served American fare for 12 years before closing last month, the airport is open to different kinds of cuisine and restaurant styles, from Korean barbecue to Italian to fried chicken, Williams said. The most important factor is for the business owner to have a successful background with other restaurants and to be a long-term partner with the airport.
The airport doesn’t receive any funds from the city, so having a profitable tenant is a priority, said Williams. “This will be part of our revenue stream,” he said. The terms of the lease will be negotiated based on the tenant’s idea and offer.
Within the next two weeks, the airport will determine whether the space needs any necessary repairs, and potential tenants will tour the space. The airport will offer a functioning facility that is up to city, building and fire codes and has all the appropriate permits. Any design-based updates will be the restaurateur’s responsibility.
“If they want to bring in chairs, flooring, outside seating areas, TVs, plants, artwork, lighting— that’s all up to the individual,” said Williams. “We’re offering them a blank canvas.”
The restaurant’s liquor license is also up for grabs, although it must be purchased from Ella’s owner, Chielo Apac. The Type 47 license, or “On Sale – General Eating Place” license, allows a restaurant to sell beer, wine and spirits for consumption on site, and can’t be transferred to another location. Apac could not be reached for comment about how much the liquor licence would cost. An application fee for a new Type 47 license is $7,320, with a $1,505 annual fee, according to California Alcoholic Beverage Control.
“It’s extremely valuable because it’s one of the only places on [Watsonville’s] Westside that serves full alcohol,” said Williams, who added that it’s one of the things that sets the Watsonville airport apart. “There are very few airports in the area that have a full liquor license on the field. Watsonville is unique in that way because we can serve the pilots and the community.”
This will be the third restaurant during Williams’ 14-year tenure as airport director. He said he’s learned a few things over the years and is hopeful that one of the three current candidates will be a good choice.
“We hope the community will be patient as we go through this. We believe its excellent location will compete with ‘The Hangar’ and surrounding eateries in the area,” said Williams. “We’re looking forward to getting the restaurant up and running again.”
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FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this story misstated administrative analyst Alexandra Aguado’s title. This story has also been updated to clarify a quote from Airport Director Rayvon Williams related to The Watsonville Hangar.
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