Less than six months after opening to great fanfare, University Heights’ high-design vegan sister restaurants Dreamboat Diner and Vulture are already facing an uncertain future. The two-story building housing the dual concepts - positioned directly under the neighborhood’s landmark sign - has quietly been listed for sale, raising fresh doubts about the viability of San Diego’s upscale plant-based dining scene.
A LoopNet listing dated November 5 shows the property at 4608-4610 Park Boulevard on the market as a fully renovated, 4,460-square-foot “turnkey” restaurant space with two kitchens, common restrooms, dual sound systems, and minimal on-site parking. The marketing materials from brokerage firm Retail Insite describe it as “high-end and upscale,” suitable for one or two operators. But the timing tells its own story: after a five-year renovation, the building has hit the market before Dreamboat and Vulture have even reached their first anniversary.
Both vegan-exclusive venues opened this summer - Dreamboat in May, offering retro diner fare and coffee; Vulture in June, featuring an avant-garde, plant-based supper club and bar program. Despite striking interiors and critical buzz, a candid October 6 post from the team acknowledged “tougher-than-expected” conditions and urged diners to come in, calling it “not a closing post, but a real one.”
Owner Kory Stetina and his wife acquired the building during the pandemic and pursued a five-year build-out with New York–based Home Studios. For Dreamboat/Vulture, Stetina teamed up with Arsalun Tafazoli - co-founder of Consortium Holdings/CH Projects (known for Born & Raised, Polite Provisions, and others) - who is a silent partner in Stetina's projects separate from CH’s portfolio. Stetina and Tafazoli are also behind South Park’s Kindred and Mothership.
Plant-based restaurants have expanded rapidly in San Diego and beyond over the past decade but have faced familiar economic pressures recent years, including rising labor and ingredient costs, high interest rates, and tighter discretionary spending. Dreamboat and Vulture represent one of the county’s most design-forward vegan investments to date, and a sale could result in a new owner continuing the concepts, bringing in different operators, or redeveloping the space within zoning limits.
Whether this latest listing and possible sale signals the end of the line for Dreamboat and Vulture remains unclear. Both continue to operate for now, and the listing itself doesn’t necessarily indicate closure. Still, in a market where even established names are scaling back, the message is unmistakable: San Diego’s dining boom may be cooling faster than anyone expected.
For now, Dreamboat and Vulture remain open while the building is marketed for sale. We’ll update as ownership, operational status, or terms change.
Originally published on November 7, 2025.
Whether this latest listing and possible sale signals the end of the line for Dreamboat and Vulture remains unclear. Both continue to operate for now, and the listing itself doesn’t necessarily indicate closure. Still, in a market where even established names are scaling back, the message is unmistakable: San Diego’s dining boom may be cooling faster than anyone expected.
For now, Dreamboat and Vulture remain open while the building is marketed for sale. We’ll update as ownership, operational status, or terms change.
Originally published on November 7, 2025.