ENCINITAS — Professional surfer Benji Weatherley is set to open a new Hawaiian-themed restaurant along Santa Fe Drive in what was once a popular pizza place.
Breakers, slated to open at 481 Santa Fe Drive in the Santa Fe Plaza directly across the road from Scripps Memorial Hospital and within view of Interstate 5, will offer a taste of Oahu along with family-friendly entertainment, including live Hawaiian music, outdoor games and an indoor arcade area.
On Aug. 1, the Encinitas Planning Commission voted 4-0, with Commissioner Robert Prendergast absent, in favor of the new restaurant, approving minor use, design review and coastal development permits as well as an alcohol service license.
The building has operated as a restaurant since the 1970s and formerly housed several pizza places, including Straw Hat Pizza, Pizza Hut, Today’s Pizza and, more recently, Schooner Station Pizzeria & Sports Pub, which closed in 2021.
Since then, the restaurant has been vacant until now.
Marcela Escobar, president and CEO of Atlantis Land Use Consultants, described the project as an “amazing Hawaiian concept” that would evoke Weatherley’s childhood in Hawaii and pay homage to the local community with vintage signs from Encinitas throughout the years.
“He wants this to be like his mom’s home in Hawaii,” Escobar said.
She also noted the restaurant would add some food variety to the area, noting that she frequently visits the hospital across the street.
“It’ll be nice to have some options other than cafeteria food in that area,” she said.
Commissioners were generally pleased with the new restaurant’s concept and designs.
Commissioner Chris Ryan said she was excited to see something new take over the building that was family-friendly. Ryan recalled visiting the restaurant when her kids were younger with their sports teams when it was a pizza place.
“I’m looking forward to seeing something inviting for families back in that spot,” Ryan said. “It sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun with indoor and outdoor games.”
Commissioner Brent Whitteker called the building a “cornerstone of our community,” and Commissioner Susan Sherod described the new restaurant’s design as “delightful.”
An opening date has yet to be determined; however, work on improvements to the building has already begun, and a temporary sign has been hung on the building’s roof facing the freeway.
