Opened by San Diego celebrity chef Brian Malarkey in 2013, Searsucker restaurant within Del Mar Highlands will shutter this fall.
Before selling the majority stake in their fabric-themed Enlightened Hospitality Group to Abu Dhabi-based Hakkasan Group in early 2014, nightlife guru James Brennan and local celebrity chef Brian Malarkey opened several locations of their flagship Searsucker restaurant concept, including the original Gaslamp outpost, Del Mar, Austin, Scottsdale, and Las Vegas. A Santa Monica location was also announced in 2014, but Hakkasan decided to open it as a branch of Malarkey's Herringbone concept instead. Originally opened by Chef Malarkey as Burlap in 2011, the Del Mar Highlands space was rebranded into Searsucker in mid-2013. With the news of the impending Del Mar closure, the downtown San Diego and Las Vegas outposts are the last remaining Searsucker restaurants. Locally, Hakkasan also operates Herringbone restaurant in La Jolla.
"After careful deliberation, we have taken the difficult decision to close Searsucker Del Mar located at the Del Mar Highlands Town Center on October 30, 2019," read an email sent by Hakkasan Group. "The restaurant will operate as normal until then. We’d like to thank our loyal customers for their continued support over the last six years. Our other local Searsucker in the Gaslamp District continues to thrive and serve the greater San Diego community."
The Hakkasan Group has filed the necessary public notice required to layoff the 40+ employees of the Del Mar Searsucker. The restaurant will close on October 30 but will operate under normal hours until then. The announced closure comes amidst a $120 million redesign of the 30+ year-old Del Mar Highlands Town Center, which includes the addition of a new Jimbo's Natually and The Sky Deck, a bi-level dining destination that will house 10 unique micro-restaurants, a cocktail bar, and a beer garden all under one roof.
