After more than a year in the dark, Duke’s Malibu is finally flipping the lights back on this Friday, reopening its dining room and Barefoot Bar after the one-two punch of the Palisades Fire and a winter mudslide. The oceanfront landmark, shuttered since Jan. 7, 2025, will return with limited hours while crews finish repairs and a small cohort of staff eases back into service. For locals, it is a concrete step in the long slog of rebuilding the stretch of Pacific Coast Highway that was deeply damaged last winter.
As reported by SFGATE, TS Restaurants CEO Jackie Reed said the company was “very fortunate to survive the fires” and confirmed that Duke’s will reopen with limited hours beginning this Friday. Reed told the outlet the dining room and the popular Barefoot Bar will be the first spaces back in service as management phases staff into shifts.
Fire, mud, and months of cleanup
Though the building largely escaped flames, heavy rains after the blaze pushed more than four feet of mud and debris into the restaurant, wrecking equipment and interior finishes, the Los Angeles Times reported. The mudslide closed portions of the Pacific Coast Highway and stretched the reopening timeline as crews removed saturated materials and replaced damaged koa wood fixtures. City of Malibu incident pages, which cite Cal Fire status updates, list 6,831 structures destroyed and 973 damaged across the Palisades and Malibu area during the fire.
Staffing, layoffs, and a slow rehire
State Employment Development Department notices identified a mass-layoff affecting roughly 126 employees, as reported by Patch. TS Restaurants has since rehired former executive chef Calvin Holladay and most of the restaurant’s management team as it prepares for a phased reopening, according to SFGATE.
Community gestures and the blessing
Before the public opening, Duke’s held a traditional Hawaiian kahu blessing and hosted a pre-opening dinner for first responders who had been staged in the restaurant’s parking lot during the blaze, The Malibu Times reported. Management described the ceremony as both a cultural rite and a tangible thank-you to the crews and contractors who helped protect and restore the space.
What to expect
The restaurant lists reservations and contact information on its Malibu page and asks guests to check for updates as hours evolve; reservations can be made via OpenTable or the restaurant’s site, per Duke’s Malibu. The address is 21150 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265, and the initial schedule will be limited to four days a week beginning around noon while the team rebuilds service capacity.
