Quick Take
After six years revitalizing a once-weathered Santa Cruz bar into the beloved “five-star dive” Mission West, owners Max Turigliatto and Grant Staudt say they have sold the Westside spot to new owners, who will take over in January following a final New Year’s Eve celebration.
After six years, the team that transformed a weathered drinking hole on Santa Cruz’s Westside into a self-proclaimed “five-star dive bar” is passing the business on to new owners.
Business partners Max Turigliatto and Grant Staudt announced Thursday on Instagram that they have sold Mission West, previously known as the Watering Hole. In 2019, they purchased the decades-old establishment and updated it to attract a broader audience with quality liquor, craft beer and house-made cocktails, regular food trucks and live music, while preserving the bar’s funky character.
Turigliatto did not share the identity of the new owners, and said that he and Staudt would make an announcement at a later date. The official takeover is on Jan. 5, he said, and Mission West will hold a New Year’s Eve party as a last hurrah.
“We got an offer that came across the table that made sense,” Turigliatto told Lookout. “We’ve put a good six years in. We did what we were supposed to – we turned it around, and we have a great team in place. Someone saw that and said they’d like to take it over.”
Mission West is one of the few remaining bars in the city that uses a Type 48 license, which allows the sale of liquor on premises without food until 2 a.m. Turigliatto said he believes that bars like Mission West can act as vital community hubs, and is proud to have preserved one where the community can feel welcome. “It’s a special place with a lot of history. We’re most proud of all the new people who felt inclined to come in and enjoy that space,” he said.
Mission West became known for attracting hundreds of people to its summer block parties, and it will host a final one Friday for Halloween, with live music headlined by local rock band Space Heater from 6 to 11 p.m. Admission is $10.
Turigliatto is turning his sights to opening his latest project: the Alley Oop in downtown Santa Cruz. He has been working for three years to transform former Irish pub The Poet & Patriot into a New Orleans-style cocktail bar with food that will complement the nearby Kuumbwa Jazz Club. Following some delays due to city permitting and construction hurdles, he said he’s “about 80% done” and hopes to open by Feb. 14 – Valentine’s Day.
He appreciates everyone who has supported Mission West over the past six years, he said: “It’s been an amazing journey and we want everyone to come in and say hi before the year’s over.”
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