Solita to close Downtown Long Beach location, leaving massive commercial space void

Solita, the massive Mexican-American corporate restaurant chain that took over the largest retail space inside Landmark Square, will be closing by the end of the year. And with it, leaves behind another massive, empty commercial space. That, in turn, opens a conversation about how we examine and help sell restaurant spaces of that size.

What was Solita—and why was it important they were in the Downtown?

Located at the northwest corner of Pine Avenue and Ocean Boulevard, Solita initially brought much-needed relief to a food scene that has been battered by the pandemic. The Cypress-based restaurant group known as Xperience—home to major brands spanning El Torito and Chevy’s to Las Brisas and Acapulco—filled an equally massive space that was left empty mid-pandemic by Rock Bottom Brewery.

Serving the Downtown community for over two decades, the brewery’s closure marked the beginning of the pandemic’s worst effect on DTLB’s restaurant scene. Shortly following, equally large spaces like the Federal Bar and Noypitz closed; neither have found new tenants. Construction on Kulture & Kraft at Broadway and Pine stopped entirely. Then Pier 76 at 1st and Pine closed (which will be becoming & Waffles). Then Lupe’s closed (which is now Toma).

The overall aura surrounding DTLB’s food scene—a scene, mind you, that was unquestionably the heart of Long Beach’s culinary domain—was grim and the hope for investment minimal: Who would want to invest in massive, indoor spaces during a time when restaurants were treading new waters, access to construction materials were slim, and people were getting used to outdoor dining?

That’s why Solita was such an essential cog in both our food scene and commercial space leasing environment. And while they should never outright dominate any particular area, corporate brands are essential for a space dominated by conventioneers and tourists. Even more, they are the entities with the capital and backing to take on such spaces.

DTLB is beginning its upward swing—led by small businesses—but corporate-like spaces need to be reexamined.

The Downtown is, in all honesty, finally on an upward swing that is almost entirely being led by small businesses. The string of businesses along THe Promenade—The Ordinarie, ISM Brewing, and Ubuntu—have collectively agreed to open seven days a week and manage late hours as much as they can. Sonoratown has brought an entirely new lunch crowd to DTLB. Recreational Coffee will soon be serving beer and wine while they experiment with later hours that eschew the current trend of coffee shops closing at 5PM.

Downtown certainly has its issues but right now? DTLB is awesome—and worthy of our investment. Of course, a larger conversation needs to be had surrounding spaces that are fiscally impossible for small business owners to tackle. And, at least for this situation, unable to fulfill the corporate needs of the companies that can financially take on such expansive footprints.

The Federal Bar at 1st and Pine. Noypitz at Broadway and The Promenade. Octopus at Broadway and Pine. Now Solita at Ocean and Pine. These are incredibly big spaces. On top of the many spaces that have never been leased since they opened. The groundfloor retail at Shoreline. Or Ocean Center. Or Pacific and Broadway. (This isn’t even getting into the employment impact. At its opening, Solita had over 130 employees, according to Xperience COO Mike Johnson. That means these spaces, when leased, are huge job providers.)

To fill them—particularly given Solita didn’t even make it much past two years—will prove not just taxing but difficult.

Solita is located at 1 Pine Ave. in Downtown Long Beach.