The Breakfast Bar’s expansion is part of a growing trend in expanding DTLB’s ability for events

The Breakfast Bar’s latest expansion at its Downtown location isn’t solely for seating more patrons. That is, of course, part of the goal. But the larger goal of Catering & Events Manager Angela Roman’s space is much more significant.

Broken down: The simple goals of The Breakfast Bar’s expansion.

The Breakfast Bar’s OG location—which has, across its decade-long existence, not only reactivated a previously dead space of Atlantic but has also helped reinvigorate the Travelodge attached to its borders—has opted to make a seemingly-crazy-but-actually-smart choice. It has sealed up the pool that was once attached—a pool, mind you, that its owners, Joshua and Pamela Beadel, often used to wake themselves up before opening up in the early days of the space—to create a space that simultaneously expands its seating along with its private party options.

Every aspect of the space, from the planters to the tables, is moveable. It isn’t massive, nor is it tiny. Angela feels it is precisely what the space needs: Expanded use for the weekend patrons (weekend events are not permitted) and open Monday through Friday to private parties, both within and outside operating hours.

“This is something I feel is worth building,” Angela said. “I know it won’t be an instant hit—which is hard to swallow because the space took money to build out. It will require the trust of a handful of folks booking it and understanding how unique it is.”

Unique is an understatement: Few are catering to the breakfast crowd in Long Beach. And that is a crying shame, given the growth in post-wedding brunches, convention-based breakfast meetings, and caterers focusing on breakfast-centric fare. And Angela very much gets that: Space-use fees are waived if your event is within operating hours. Your parties can include or exclude alcohol. All catering is in-house. Audio-video packages are available for meetings with presentations and speakers.

The Breakfast Bar’s expansion is a realization that walk-in patronage alone isn’t enough.

The story of restaurants post-pandemic has been long-sung and well-heard. Spaces need to have a revolving door of shifts, alterations, adaptations, and evolutions that go beyond simple menu updates. In the least, their menu updates must be worth sharing (and, at best, jealousy-inducing) should a patron share them on social media.

But many also need to have events. And those events range vastly by definition.

For those that—for some reason—argue we don’t need to care about or support our convention center, it goes beyond the $35M-plus they provide directly back to the city in TOT taxes (or taxes from people staying at hotels). They are essential in having restaurants garner full-space bookings. The annual Trans-Pacific Maritime Conference, usually booked each year in March? You cannot find a space in Downtown Long Beach that will not be permanently shuttered for one of their private events at some point during its week-long run, from The Auld Dubliner to The Ordinarie.

Then there are weddings. Birthdays. Graduations. Corporate retreats. Holiday parties. There are other businesses needing celebration spaces, be it for a departing employee or an anniversary. It is an incredibly smart move by a restaurant that has largely dedicated itself to its community—but also wants to expand its ability to remain alive and relevant.

The Breakfast Bar’s DTLB location is located at 70 Atlantic Ave. It also has an additional location at 3404 4th St. For catering and events inquiries, call 562-476-6599 or email: events@thebreakfastbarlbc.com