BizHawk is published weekly, and includes items of interest to the business community. Share your business news, including employee announcements and personnel moves, by emailing news@noozhawk.com.
Montecito has its cormorants. Old Town Goleta has its own birds, of sorts, that have arrived.
Wingman Rodeo has opened a restaurant at the former Natural Cafe and Gimeal spot, at 5892 Hollister Ave.
It’s a place to buy classic or boneless wings, in the style of Korean BBQ, pineapple bourbon, atomic buffalo and many others. There’s also Pork Daddy’s Famous Pulled Pork Sandwich and Vegan Daddy Burrito.
“What Goleta has been missing is delicious wings,” manager Waldo Damaso said. “People are getting really excited about having wings in Old Town.”
All of the sauces are homemade. The restaurant sells T-shirts and hats, and it’s trying to be part of the community by sponsoring youth sports leagues.
It’s the second location for the company, which opened Wingman Rodeo at 730 N. Milpas St. in Santa Barbara a little more than a year ago.
The expansion into Goleta also comes after Wingstop opened in La Cumbre Plaza in February. The South Coast’s expansion of wing restaurants comes at a time when nationally there’s a chicken wing shortage. Apparently, wings grew popular during the COVID-19 pandemic; as takeout and delivery increased, so did the number of people buying chicken wings.
Here, the wings have the wind at their back.
“We have different flavors, we have a good attitude, we know what we are selling our customers, we are not cutting any corners and we want our experience to be better than a commercial chain,” Damaso said.
Dudley Michael and Colton Krueger own the restaurant. Michael said he’s been looking for a spot in Goleta for a long time and found the perfect one.
“I just think it’s a really neat, iconic building, but I think Old Town Goleta is on the edge of really starting to do some new stuff,” Dudley said. “We’re excited to be over here.”
Michael said he’s excited to be around all of the families and businesses in Old Town Goleta.
Besides wings, the restaurant also serves burritos, French fries and salads.
NoTown Tavern Dives In
For decades, the Magnolia Shopping Center in Santa Barbara was home to dive bar Monty’s.
Well, Monty’s may be gone, but a bar — NoTown Tavern — is back in town.
The inside of the bar, at 5114 Hollister Ave., is new and modern, with two pool tables, a jukebox and plenty of happy people passing the time.
Some locals refer to the unincorporated area between Goleta and Santa Barbara as “Noleta,” which led to the name, according to owners Jill Tucker and Blake Schaff.
“The community is what makes it a dive bar still,” Tucker said. “You get to come in, everyone really does know your name, or they are going to remember or recognize you the next time.”
The silky smooth sounds of Aaron Neville’s “Tell It Like It Is” were playing on the jukebox on a recent afternoon.
The new bar serves wine and local beers, including Fess Parker, Brander, Captain Fatty’s, Figueroa Mountain and, eventually, M. Special.
Lobero Building Sells
The historic Lobero Building, 924 Anacapa St. in downtown Santa Barbara, was recently purchased by a local investment group, according to a news release from Hayes Commercial Group.
“This historic building is an irreplaceable landmark of downtown, and the new owners are excited and proud to be a part of its story,” said Caitlin Hensel, who along with Kristopher Roth represented the buyer in the off-market transaction.
The closing price was not disclosed.
“This sale is evidence that despite the pandemic economy, demand for well-located office investments has been robust in the Santa Barbara area,” Hensel said.
During the past 12 months, seven office properties have sold for more than $10 million on the South Coast, which is roughly double the historical pattern of the past decade.
The Lobero Building was designed by Julia Morgan and constructed as the Margaret Baylor Inn, a hotel for businesswomen, in 1926-27, according to a news release. Morgan’s most famous work was the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, but she also designed several projects in Santa Barbara. The inn closed in the 1940s, and the property since has served as a multitenant office building.
Kiva Cowork Changes
The Kiva Cowork board of directors has elected Ted Singley as president and Kristin Boehm as vice president.
Dan Ferrick will continue to stay involved and has shifted his efforts toward the expansion and real estate side of the business, according to a company email.
Kiva Cowork has three shared workspaces in Santa Barbara.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.