Reader Brendan let me know that SocialEats, an Instagram-ready food concept from Los Angeles-based hospitality group K2 Restaurants, is coming to 6521 Pardall Road in Isla Vista, the former home of South Coast Deli, Dirty’s, On The Side, Tasters, The Spot, Espresso Roma, McBurley’s as well as the birthplace of The Habit Burger Grill and Kinko’s (now Fedex Office). The restaurant offers burgers, tacos, noodles, sushi, seafood, coffee, salads and more.
SocialEats describes its business as “a food discovery platform and space where modern cuisine meets a one-of-a-kind community experience, all built upon a foundation of stellar culinary concepts with a lineup ranging from globally recognized chefs to local rising stars.” The flagship SocialEats began as a traditional food hall when it opened in 2018 on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade but subsequently spun off a virtual version called Social Eats OnTheGo that has since opened in Hollywood, Mid-Wilshire, Anaheim, and Pacific Beach.
“We’re proud to introduce SocialEats; what we believe to be the next generation food hall,” said K2 Restaurants owner John Kolaski at the opening of their first location in Santa Monica. “SocialEats introduces a new era of the social dining destination, incubating new concepts alongside those proven successful, while streamlining operations under a single collaborative strategy. With the launch of our SocialEats Good Eats, Delivered Program we intend to expanding SocialEats and our restaurant concepts to new markets.” The SocialEats Delivered Program involves entirely electric, zero-emissions cars that deliver free within five miles of a SocialEats location. Visit thesocialeats.com
Top: photo by The Restaurant Guy, bottom: courtesy photo of Social Eats in Santa Monica.
Wow. “… a new era of the social dining destination, incubating new concepts alongside those proven successful, while streamlining operations under a single collaborative strategy.”
I want to eat at a place owned and run by chefs – not MBAs! Not “a food discovery platform and space where modern cuisine meets a one-of-a-kind community experience” but a RESTAURANT.
Maybe the food will be amazing. But SocialEats should stop confusing their elevator pitch with their product. Good luck y’all.
Couldn’t agree more. WTF am I even doing there? Sounds like spending a lot of time figuring out what, and how, to order.
Apart from anything else, that kind of marketing concept is not living in the same universe as Isla Vista.
Finally mankind has proof that there is a multiverse
Sounds like… a food court. In a building way too small to be any good at being one.
Considering South Coast Deli couldn’t make this spot work, this’ll stay open until K2 gets tired of throwing money at it.
Sounds like US empire corporate mumbo jumbo. Hustlers and hucksters