On my Best of Laguna Beach radio show at KXFM 104.7, my renowned, very wry regular guest - Bruce Russo - joins me as we pull back the curtain on what it really takes to convert an old retail space or move into a 2nd-gen restaurant space that looks so ready for you into a fully operational, legally permitted, health-inspected, liquor-serving dining experience.
Now, restaurant operators may get all of this but if you’re that person who wonders why that incoming restaurant is STILL incoming … here’s the episode that unpacks all the reasons why.
Bruce Russo’s seen it all – and built it all. And in this episode, he’s spilling hard-won lessons from his legendary 222 Ocean Avenue project in Laguna Beach … PLUS the innumerable times he’s built an entire nightclub in 5 days – but we’ll get to that 🕺🏽 you should be dancin’news 🕺🏽 later.
Listen in to the audio replay, above!
Show Notes/Summary:
“Instead of having one meeting with 10 items covered in one meeting, most city processes - including Laguna Beach - are 10 meetings with 1 item on the agenda.” - Bruce Russo
✅ 📞 The Power of a ‘Hey, Just Wanted to Loop You In’ Call
We use the example of Bruce’s work on his retail-to-restaurant buildout at 222 Ocean Avenue here in Laguna Beach. Initially, here are the first 4-5 steps that take place even before formally meeting with the City’s Building Department.
✅ What NOT to Do When Your Plans Are ‘Sealed’ (Trust Us, Don’t 🙅♂️)
What it means when “plans are sealed” after being submitted to the City. And what it REALLY means when the client changes his/her mind about the plans in the process (bad idea).
✅ The trials and tribulations of acquiring an expensive liquor license and why a city is still allowed to tell you what you can serve.
✅ The renovation/demolition THEN begins … and now all the multiple building inspections begin as you walk through every stage of construction from engineering trades (first!) and framing aspects before your flooring and sheetrock goes in.
✅ You Can’t Serve Dinner If Your Kitchen’s Still on Backorder, Babe. 🍽️
💡 (Bruce’s lessons learned) Why it’s smarter to get the kitchen package install done first before tackling the front-of-house completion.
✅ When front-of-house finish and chairs, tables, marble slabs, custom fabrics, etc., actually begins.
✅ 🏛️ Building in a Historical District? Buckle Up, Buttercup
The interesting complications with building to “historical” demands in a city and the only time a “historical district” is vetoed.
✅ Bruce’s estimate on the TOTAL number of inspections that occur between start and the final Head Building Inspector’s inspection.
✅ The Health Inspector Walked In While They Were Serving Tacos. Oops. 🌮🚫
Where the Health Inspection comes in and how it becomes an issue when cities are relying on county health inspectors to do final approvals. This is where restaurant operators will get the most frustrated and make the mistake of bringing food into the space. And here’s what happens WHEN the health inspector shows up in your food-laden restaurant! 👀
✅ BONUS: From Permit Purgatory to Nightclub in 5 Days:
Bruce tells his hilarious story of how he and his team have become renowned for their ability to build out entire nightclubs in a week (and while facing a giant penalty fee if they don’t meet the Friday re-open deadline). He talks through the stressed schedule that begins at 2:30 AM on a Sunday night to reopen five days later on Friday afternoons at 4:00 p.m.
Can’t get enough of this behind-the-curtain restaurant scene?
Be sure to also catch our official podcast, Mastering Restaurant Revenue, where Bruce Russo and I peel back the layers on what creates successful and exponential revenue streams in restaurants, from beginning design through multiple revenue pods you can install in any restaurant.
This week’s episode: 🎧 The Real MVP of Your Restaurant (Hint: It's NOT the Chef)
Let’s be honest — your guests don’t remember if the table was reserved under “Samantha” or “Sarah.”
But they do remember how they were greeted, treated and handled the moment they walked in the door.
👉 Watch the full episode on YouTube (and please subscribe!):
👉 Or, listen on your favorite platform:
👉 Join the community at the “Mastering Restaurant Revenue” website for detailed breakdowns of episodes, recommended actions, contests, polls, live sessions with us and more.
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