More than a year after the Palisades Fire, the beachside restaurant Duke's Malibu will reopen and welcome back its customers this weekend.
The grand reopening is on Friday, March 13, at 12 p.m.
"What started as devastation became a story of community, resilience, and aloha. We're so proud of everything this 'ohana has built — and we can't wait to share it with you," Duke's Malibu wrote in an Instagram post.
The Hawaiian, surf-themed restaurant closed its doors 14 months ago on Jan. 7, the first day of the Palisades Fire, serving as a staging area for first responders. The wildfire covered the restaurant with smoke and ash as it burned 23,448 acres. By the time firefighters fully contained the flames, the third-most destructive fire in California history had destroyed 6,837 structures and damaged 973 more.
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Duke's Malibu, the Hawaiian, surf-themed restaurant, will reopen on Friday. Duke's Malibu
Duke's reopening timeline was pushed back several times after heavy rain soaked the bare hillsides, triggering mudslides throughout the burn scar, some of which filled the restaurant's property.
"Within literally a matter of minutes, the restaurant was, both ends, the entire parking lot, full of mud and debris," said Josh Morgan, Vice President of operations at TS restaurants on Feb. 15, 2025. "We have about 132 employees at Duke's, and for them to be out of work is a very difficult thing."
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After surviving the Palisades Fire, Duke's restaurant in Malibu got the brunt of a mudslide from the recent rainstorm. KCAL News
The restaurant said it had replaced its deck, and it will be open four days a week from noon to at least 7 p.m.
Duke's had a soft reopening last week to honor first responders.
"Grateful to honor and mahalo the first responders at Duke's Malibu on Wednesday," the restaurant wrote in an Instagram post last week. "Without them, we wouldn't be opening next week. Thank you is not enough for their sacrifice and the hope they bring. Such a beautiful day."