When George Hauer opened a restaurant in La Jolla in 1984, he had modest plans.
“When we opened, it was just supposed to be a simple place that served a good burger for lunch and a nice dinner,” Hauer recalls.
Four decades later, this simple place, George’s at the Cove, has survived and become a
iconic institution in San Diego’s ever-changing and competitive restaurant scene.
On Friday, 40 years after the opening of his restaurant, he and his top chef and
Partner Trey Foshee, along with some of his staff, cut a lemon buttercream cake to celebrate the legendary coastal restaurant’s anniversary.
“It feels like it has been a good life,” said Hauer. “Many successes. Many ups and downs
Downs. In the restaurant business, it’s really unusual to last forty years.”
In 1984, Hauer worked as operations manager for a restaurant company, but wanted
opened his own restaurant. He set up shop on the first two floors of a building on Prospect Street in La Jolla, overlooking La Jolla Cove.
The restaurant was expanded in 1991 to include a sea-view terrace and gained a reputation for fine dining, including a mention in the MICHELIN restaurant guide and awards for Foshee.
Foshee and Hauer said their success was due to the fact that they didn’t stand still.
“One of the things that sets us apart is that we are constantly changing what we do,” said
Foshee, who joined the restaurant in 1998.
In addition to the event on Friday, the restaurant is celebrating the anniversary with a year-long guest chef dinner series. Each month, former employees and chefs are invited to the exclusive
culinary experiences.
A lot has changed since the restaurant opened, including the new patio. Oh, and that great burger for lunch? It was $5.95. Now it’s $20.
Hauer said managing the restaurant and its 150 employees is challenging, noting that they order 1,000 dishes each week and serve about 300,000 meals annually. And something can always go wrong.
Standing on the patio overlooking La Jolla Cove, Hauer noted that while the scenic view has remained the same, his restaurant has continued to evolve.
“This is a real development for all of us,” he said. “We are still relevant.”
