Post #362236 by Luckydesigns on Tue, Feb 19, 2008 4:30 PM

I think one of the things that plagues that place is the location....It's just kind of out in the middle of nowhere. Its a stretch of PCH that is fairly removed from other restaurants and bars. I'm sure in Newport, if the wait at the Chart House is too long, there are other restaurants that benefit from that overflow....

On the other hand, if Sam's was to become known for ONE really, really good drink, like the former Royal Hawaiian's Lapu, that could be a huge draw. I know of tons of young people that would drive from Costa Mesa and Newport to Laguna just for that drink. I hope the new owners are listening. Dump a bunch of money into marketing something like that in the OC Weekly and comparative mags... That could be the trick.

That's a funny thing about mentioning the sign too. I think the Sam's sailfish is so cool, but if there was a really good neon sign like you mentioned, that could create some interest. That was one of the things that the former owner mentioned too. The new sign (that a friend of ours painted) while being a great piece of art, just wasn't bright or flashy enough to grab people's attention. Probably their own fault in art direction.

Anyway, it's not gone yet....We'll see.......