Linda’s Seabreeze Café: A Santa Cruz legend, and a cinnamon roll to live for

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The Lookout article “Winds of change at Linda’s Seabreeze” brought back a lot of memories for me. I worked at the café for 28 years and the changing of hands feels bittersweet. 

Tex and Claire Hintze were partners with Linda at Linda’s Seabreeze Café and bought her half of the business when she decided to sell. But that’s not something Tex or Claire would ever care to mention. They never needed the limelight; it wasn’t their way. 

They kept the “Linda” in Linda’s Seabreeze Café because they were proud of the business they built with Linda and because they were smart business owners.

Tex and Claire were the best employers I ever had. They were more like co-workers than bosses. I was always amazed at how fast the tiny kitchen could put out food. In the early days, Tex cooked, and it was he who trained all the other cooks, teaching them how to put out delicious, hot, quality food in record time. Claire waited tables along with the rest of us. 

Tex and Claire donated countless gift certificates to school raffles, UC Santa Cruz, little leagues, the AIDS ride, and the list goes on. They were also an integral part of the Seabright community. One of my fondest memories is when we held a fundraiser for a young couple living in the neighborhood who had a baby with cancer and a congenital heart disorder.  

If a customer came in on their birthday, we always gave them a cinnamon roll with a candle on top, compliments of the house. If they were a regular, Tex and Claire would often buy their meal as well. If a person came in and was a dollar or two short, Tex and Claire never seemed to mind, they’d just say, “Catch us next time.” Then, they’d take $5 out of the cash register to make sure the server received a tip. Most people are good and honest and they reciprocated the trust and generosity Tex and Claire extended to them.

Employees received a break with a free meal during a shift, but we also ate our fair share of cinnamon rolls. On our birthday, Tex would make a cake and Claire would give us a bonus and a thoughtful gift. There are many longstanding employees, and some have been at the Seabreeze since its inception. 

A deep sense of loyalty was ever-present in the employees and the customers. Our customers consisted of couples, friends, families and quite a few singles. On several occasions, I had a single person say to me, “This is the only place I go to eat alone because I feel comfortable here, like I’m in my own home.” 

Several sweethearts got engaged in the restaurant. We even had a pregnant woman go into labor. Families came in to celebrate birthdays, holidays and special events. We saw their kids grow up, get married and then bring their own children in. People also came in after going to the doctor, getting out of the hospital or receiving unpleasant news. Comfort food is a real thing. 

During the winter when the electricity would go out and we were unable to cook food, customers would just hang out and talk or sit quietly and drink coffee until the pots were empty. It was a safe place for the Seabright community to gather, to bring news and to receive news.  

For years, while customers were waiting for a table, we had a self-serve coffee station that worked on the honor system. Mugs were often left lying all over the place, on the curb, in the parking lot, in planter boxes, the bathroom, anywhere and everywhere.  Some mugs would “grow legs and walk away.”

Once, Clarie was at a yard sale in the Seabright neighborhood and they had about 15 Seabreeze Café mugs for sale. It was obvious people had walked down to the café for a coffee and walked home with the mug.  Either intentionally or absentmindedly, the coffee cups never got returned.  Claire asked how much they wanted for the cups, took out her wallet, paid and brought them back to the restaurant. 

Some employees were up in arms, claiming they should have been given back at no charge. Claire just shrugged and said, “They only charged me 50 cents a mug.” Needless to say, we were always running short on coffee cups and having to order more.

Some customers gave Tex and Claire unsolicited advice over the years.  They should expand. They should stay open later. They should sell alcohol. They should move the mailbox. 

Tex and Claire weren’t in the business to get rich. They wanted to make a decent living and raise a family, and they prioritized being home when their kids arrived on the school bus. They worked hard, served delicious, affordable food and had a good time doing it.  

Everyone was welcome at the Seabreeze Café … gay, straight, black, white, nonbinary, Republican, Democrat, beef-eater, vegan. Everything was made from scratch, from the scrambles with local, organic tofu to homemade corned beef hash and eggs. A customer could order half eggs, half tofu, half fruit, half potatoes and split the meal, all for no extra charge. Now, where else can a person get that? 

Tex’s cinnamon rolls were to live for and I have to admit, there was a time when I would eat one a day. After many years of rolling out the dough, Tex finally handed down the task to a kitchen employee. Although still tasty, they were never as delicious as Tex’s.  He just had the perfect combination of butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, irresistible ooey-gooey yumminess. 

Customers from out of town would order an extra dozen or so before going home. They had stories of hiding them in the freezer and eating one a month until they returned the next year, or saving them all up for Christmas morning. It was fun to hear how they would be rationed until the next trip to Santa Cruz.  

Tex and Claire gave their heart and soul to their business, employees, customers and community and they never expected anything in return. When COVID-19 hit, businesses were hurting, some had to close. People were scrambling, trying to figure out what to do. Tex and Claire and the staff quickly rearranged the restaurant and figured out a safe system to sell food to go. It took a while to catch on, but the longer COVID-19 persisted, the more people missed their favorite restaurants and comfort foods. It wasn’t long before business picked up and the restaurant was able to stay afloat.  

Customers came in and ordered food – many just wanted their cinnamon roll, a cup of coffee, and a chat through masks. But what really tugged at our heartstrings was how people went above and beyond. Some customers would leave $50 or $100 tips. Others bought large gift certificates. One family bought a $1,000 gift certificate and didn’t start using it until COVID was a distant memory.  

After all the years of Tex and Claire giving to their community, their community was giving back to them. I think it was then that they really understood how much they were loved by their staff, customers and community.  

When people come together during times of adversity, it’s a beautiful thing.  There’s always a silver lining and seeing the people of Santa Cruz rally around their community and their favorite haunts was a lesson in faith and generosity.  

It was important to Tex and Claire to sell the restaurant to someone who knew the business, someone embedded in the community, someone with heart, someone who cared. The Bei-Magdaleno family met such criteria.  

I’ll miss working at the café, but when Tex and Claire retired, I decided it was time to retire from the restaurant business as well. Marcie and Mark are friends of mine and I wish them great success. I’ll continue to dine at the Seabreeze Café because I want to support the business and because I want my favorite scramble with a cinnamon roll, of course.

When you described the Seabreeze Café as beloved, that’s exactly what it was and what it remains today.  

Adriana Owsley was a longtime server at Linda’s Seabreeze Cafe.