Santa Barbara Harbor Commission Weighs Pop-Up Businesses at Former Anchor Rose Space

Santa Barbara’s waterfront officials are weighing bringing in pop-up businesses at the site of the former Anchor Rose restaurant. 

During the Harbor Commission meeting on January 15, staff discussed using pop-up businesses at 113 Harbor Way as a short-term revenue-generating solution.

Anchor Rose, which overlooks Santa Barbara’s harbor, closed on December 31, 2025, after management chose not to exercise its lease extensions. Earlier this month, the City of Santa Barbara listed the waterfront restaurant space for lease.

The building housing Anchor Rose is a historical structure, which makes maintenance and future enhancements more complex. 

With the space now lying almost vacant, staff are planning to conduct a detailed assessment and address the delayed maintenance of the building, which has been continually occupied for over 30 years.

However, the vacancy is leading to a considerable financial loss for the Waterfront Department, staff noted in the meeting. The loss of Anchor Rose at the space is contributing to a projected $1 million revenue shortfall in the Waterfront Department’s property management program, the officials said. 

While Anchor Rose had been paying rent on time, the space is not generating income since the former tenants vacated in December 2025. 

Describing the Waterfront Department as being stuck in an “unlucky spot,” officials noted that the department was down to two major food service tenants, a rare situation for a spot which typically maintains a 100% occupancy rate. 

If approved, new business is expected to operate as early as June, but staff said that the permission and improvement process is expected to take six months to a year, or even extend to two years. 

To mitigate losses and explore temporary solutions, Waterfront Business Manager Cesar Barrios and Director Mike Wiltshire have discussed possibilities of how to use the space and talked about pop-up establishments as an option to help offset lost revenue. At the same time, the City continues to explore options for a permanent tenant. 

Simultaneously, the City is moving forward with a formal Request for Proposals (RFP) process. Three proposals have been submitted by the January 7, 2026, deadline, which include one for the upstairs space and two for the downstairs space. If these proposals do not meet the City’s criteria, the Waterfront Department has the option to reopen the RFP process to find a more suitable tenant. 

In the meantime, some portions of the building are being used temporarily as storage space, while the Anchor Rose staff completes vacating the premises. 

Since it opened in 2022, Anchor Rose has been known for its rooftop setting, its menu of craft cocktails, and live music. 

The building housing Anchor Rose has previously hosted other waterfront restaurants, such as Chuck’s Waterfront Grill, Endless Summer Bar Cafe, Chomp on the Rocks, and SALTY at the Beach.