Sammy Hagar, the restaurateur and lead singer of such outfits as Van Halen and Montrose, made an appearance in Huntington Beach on Friday, May 17 to usher in the opening of the Sand Bar, the beachside extension of Cabo Wabo Beach Club. The Grammy-winning crooner appeared alongside his wife, Kari, and Bob Mayer III, president of the Mayer Corporation, owners of the Waterfront Beach Resort, for an official ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“When you go to the beach, you lug all this (stuff) with you,” he said. “Coolers and ice that weighs a 150 pounds. You bring your own barbecues. You sit and work all day at the beach. Well, you don’t have to do that anymore. Just come in a bathing suit and a towel.”
A handful of local notables joined Hagar at today’s private ceremony, including Huntington Beach economic development manager Kriss Casanova and city council members Tony Strickland, Dan Kalmick, Rhonda Bolton and Casey McKeon.
SEE ALSO: The Sand Bar, Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo extension, opens in Huntington Beach
Featuring a 2,100-square-foot patio with 100 seats, which offers full-service dining and counter service for to-go meals, the Sand Bar sits right on the beach.
“We put a little lipstick and rouge on it and made the food good,” said Hagar, adding, “I tested all the drinks a week ago and I ended up having to go across the street to rent a room — I’m used to that kind of stuff.” (Both the Sand Bar and Cabo Wabo Beach Club are part of the Waterfront Beach Resort.)
Reflecting on his life and his work in the restaurant business, Hagar joked, “I’ve been a so-called rockstar my whole life. A lot of people don’t trust rockstars. They think we’re just flakey people who do drugs and just get in trouble. Well, we do that too but some of us have good intentions.”
Hagar donates a portion of his proceeds from the Sand Bar and Cabo Wabo to CHOC Children’s Hospital of Orange County and Tilly’s Life Center.
The singer/restauranteur, who also owns Sammy Hagar’s Beach Bar and Grill in Las Vegas and Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, added, “I want to thank the mayor for giving us a chance. We’re really going to make a difference here.”
After his Huntington Beach appearance, Hagar left to Las Vegas for the opening of yet another beach-themed establishment, Sammy’s Island at the Palms Casino Resort.
The Sand Bar, which features a menu of offers year-round dining Wednesday through Sunday from noon until sunset.
Find it: 21351 Pacific Coast Hwy, Huntington Beach; across from the Waterfront Beach Resort and next to Waterfront Adventures
