Hospitality veterans team up to open Mane Kitchen & Cocktails in downtown Santa Cruz

Two familiar players in Santa Cruz’s hospitality industry are teaming up to open the first restaurant of their own. 

By the end of the month, chef Desmond Schneider, who most recently led the kitchen at Pete’s in Capitola, and his business partner Julianna Mireles, currently a bartender at the Redroom Cocktail Lounge in downtown Santa Cruz, aim to open Mane Kitchen & Cocktails in the former Betty’s Eat Inn at 1222 Pacific Ave. 

The co-owners have been working around the clock for a month to transform the burger joint into an Art Deco-inspired restaurant and lounge with an oyster bar. As of early October, there’s still a lot that needs to come together before the opening date they set for the end of the month: install flooring, update light fixtures, reinstall the old Betty’s banquettes that they reupholstered in sleek black and other cosmetic upgrades. 

The end result will be a relaxed but upscale destination that they hope will “elevate the downtown vibe,” said Schneider, as well as complement nearby restaurants Hook & Line and Oswald. 

Schneider thinks that the downtown area feels vibrant in a way it hasn’t in a long time. “I think people are really starting to get drawn back down to the downtown scene, and hopefully [Mane] will influence that more,” he said. 

While the downtown area drew concern earlier this year for empty storefronts, some of those vacancies will soon be filled by food and drink businesses, such as gluten-free Switch Bakery, which is going into the former Café Limelight spot on Cedar Street, and candy company Ashby Confections, scheduled to open next spring in the former Joe’s Pizza and Subs on Pacific Avenue. 

Mane’s cocktail list will include classics with unexpected upscale twists, said Mireles, like using quality French vermouth in its martini. She’s also creating a spin on the John Daly, traditionally made with vodka, iced tea and lemonade. In addition to wine and Champagne, there will be a few beers on draft, including affordable Pabst Blue Ribbon lager. 

Schneider plans on serving bistro-style small and sharable plates, as well as entrees such as steak and pastas made in house, highlighting produce grown by local farmers and prepared with Italian and French influences. Mane Kitchen & Cocktails will also offer freshly shucked oysters and seafood sourced through H&H Fresh Fish Co. and Ocean2Table, both Santa Cruz-based purveyors with a focus on sustainability. 

He chose to keep most of his ideas to himself until Mane opens, but hinted that he’s working on dishes that range from sourdough bread with cultured butter, French onion soup, beef tartar and crudos.

Both Mireles and Schneider have a long history in the area’s hospitality industry. They became friends more than a decade ago while Mireles was a server at the Hollins House at Pasatiempo. Schneider later worked there, too. In 2018, Schneider left to help open Alderwood Santa Cruz as the chef de cuisine, and in 2021 convinced Mireles to join him as a server. In 2023, Mireles joined the team at the Redroom, a longstanding bar on Cedar Street, while Schneider created opening menus for Seabright Social (which closed in September) and Pete’s. 

Earlier this year, Mireles and Schneider ran a private event together, and noticed how well they worked as a team. “It was seamless,” said Mireles. They decided to take the leap and open their own place. Within a few months, Mireles was able to find an investor within her network of longstanding customers. 

Mireles has earned a devoted following because of her intuition and service, she said. “I really pay attention,” she said of her hospitality style. “I always remember exactly what people want. In all my years of experience, I’ve been able to develop this intuition around what I think people will like or won’t like,” which gives guests a sense of comfort. 

Both owners are excited to finally have the opportunity to be their own bosses, and share their decades of experience under their own roof. “It’s an investment for us and for our future, and to bring something to Santa Cruz that no one’s really seen before,” said Mireles. 

Ten years ago, Schneider promised himself that he would open his own place by age 45. At 44, with the support of their friends and a bit of luck, he’s within his goal. “I knew I was going to do it, but now that I’m finally doing it, it’s an amazing feeling,” he said with emotion. “I have so much passion and care for the industry.” 

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