What Duke's Malibu does

Duke's Malibu is a single-location, beachfront full-service Hawaiian-themed seafood and steak restaurant located at 21150 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California. Operated as a subsidiary of T S Restaurants Management, Inc. (a California-based hospitality company controlling ~13 restaurant brands including Duke's Huntington Beach, Jake's, Hula Grill, and Kimo's), the restaurant serves leisure and tourist visitors, local diners, private event hosts, and vacation rental guests. Its core products are lunch and dinner dining service, the trademarked signature Hula Pie dessert (macadamia nut ice cream on chocolate cookie crust, shared across all T S Restaurant locations), tropical cocktails at the Barefoot Bar, and private event hosting in two ocean-view rooms accommodating 20-160 guests. Revenue is generated through dine-in service, takeout/catering via Toast Tab, special events and weddings booked through Tripleseat, an affiliated oceanfront 4-bedroom vacation rental listed on VRBO and Airbnb, gift cards, and branded merchandise through T S Sportswear.

The business model is asset-heavy traditional hospitality built around an irreplicable PCH beachfront footprint and a heritage brand identity anchored in Duke Kahanamoku and the Gidget surfing lore, with Kathy Kohner Zuckerman (the real Gidget) serving as Ambassador of Aloha. Commercial technology integrations are limited to standard third-party SaaS (OpenTable, Toast Tab, Tripleseat, VRBO, Airbnb, Paycom) for reservations, ordering, event booking, and HR—no proprietary technology platform or AI/ML capabilities are evident. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and the customer base is entirely consumer (B2C) with no enterprise contracts. The restaurant closed for 14 months following the January 2025 Palisades fire and mudslides (during which 126 employees were laid off) and reopened in March 2026 with extensive renovations, making current operations a turnaround scenario rather than steady-state growth.

Name

Duke's Malibu

Legal name

T S Restaurants Management, Inc.

Website

https://dukesmalibu.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Duke's Malibu is a single-location beachfront full-service Hawaiian-themed seafood restaurant on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, operated by T S Restaurants and serving leisure tourists, event hosts, and vacation rental guests.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Full-Service Seafood Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

akta.pro primary industry

Steakhouses & Seafood Restaurants (THAFACAE)

Keywords

• Seafood restaurant
• Hawaiian-inspired dining
• Beachfront restaurant
• Private event venue
• Oceanfront vacation rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Malibu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant: Full-service lunch and dinner service offering Hawaiian-style cuisine, tropical cocktails, and signature Hula Pie dessert.
2. Special Events & Private Dining: Event hosting including weddings, corporate events, and private celebrations in Ocean Room (up to 160 guests) and Board Room (up to 24 guests).
3. Vacation Rental: Oceanfront private vacation rental apartment with 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, sleeps 8 guests. Bookable via VRBO and Airbnb.
4. Takeout & Catering: Online ordering through Toast Tab for takeout, plus catering services for events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Duke's Malibu is a single-location Hawaiian-inspired seafood and steak restaurant operating on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California. The business offers full-service lunch and dinner dining, casual bar service at the Barefoot Bar, private event hosting for weddings and corporate functions, and an affiliated oceanfront vacation rental. Its signature item is the Hula Pie dessert, available across all T S Restaurant locations.

Product overview

Duke's Malibu is a single-location Hawaiian-inspired seafood and steak restaurant operated by T S Restaurants, featuring oceanfront dining on the Pacific Coast Highway. The core offering is the restaurant's dining room and barefoot bar serving lunch and dinner. Signature products include the iconic Hula Pie dessert and tropical cocktails. The business extends through private event hosting with two ocean-view rooms, an affiliated vacation rental property, branded merchandise, gift cards, and an environmental education partnership program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Restaurant Dining Hawaiian-inspired seafood and steak restaurant offering all-day lunch and dinner service with oceanfront views on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.
• Hula Pie Iconic macadamia nut ice cream dessert with chocolate cookie crust, fudge, whipped cream, and toasted macadamia nuts. Available at all T S Restaurant locations.
• Barefoot Bar Casual bar experience at the restaurant offering tropical cocktails and island favorites.
• Private Events and Weddings Event hosting for weddings, corporate events, and celebrations with two private ocean-view rooms (Ocean Room up to 160 guests and Board Room up to 24 guests).
• Oceanfront Vacation Rental Oceanfront private vacation rental apartment with 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, sleeping 8 guests, featuring oceanfront deck, full kitchen, and proximity to Surfrider Beach and Malibu Pier. Listed on VRBO and Airbnb.
• Gift Cards Gift cards available for purchase through the T S Restaurants secure platform, redeemable at Duke's Malibu.
• Heal the Bay Lunch and Learn Program Educational community program in partnership with Heal the Bay nonprofit since 2010, hosting school groups for oceanic sustainability lessons followed by a meal at the restaurant serving approximately 55 students per event.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Heal the BaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental nonprofit partnership since 2010 for the Lunch and Learn program. Duke's Malibu hosts students from inner-city schools teaching oceanic sustainability and pollution awareness. Restaurant feeds approximately 55 students per event with items including fish tacos, teriyaki chicken, cheese pizza, and hula pie for dessert.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hula Grill: T S Restaurants sister brand with matching Hawaiian theme, oceanfront location, and Hula Pie on the menu; nearly identical concept and execution model.
• Sunny Side Lodge (T S Restaurants): T S Restaurants sister property; same parent operating model and Hawaiian/Polynesian aesthetic in a full-service restaurant format.
• Kimo's Maui: Original T S Restaurants property where the Hula Pie was created; same Hawaiian surf-heritage brand, oceanfront full-service dining, and signature dessert — directly comparable operating model.
• Moonshadows Malibu: Long-standing PCH beachfront seafood restaurant in Malibu with similar full-service dining, ocean-view bar, and special-event business; directly competes for the same Malibu tourist and event-host segment.
• Gladstones Malibu: Iconic Pacific Coast Highway beachfront restaurant in Malibu serving seafood and steaks with similar ocean-view dining and event hosting; closest non-affiliated direct competitor for Malibu beachfront diners.
• Paradise Cove Beach Cafe: Beachfront Malibu restaurant known for private-event and wedding hosting with ocean views; directly comparable in combining casual dining with large-scale private-event revenue.
• Geoffrey's Malibu: Cliffside ocean-view full-service restaurant in Malibu with strong event and wedding business; comparable Mediterranean-leaning seafood menu and high-end Malibu clientele.
• Malibu Farm Restaurant: Beachfront farm-to-table full-service restaurant at the Malibu Pier; similar oceanfront casual-but-full-service positioning targeting Malibu beachgoers and tourists.
• Duke's Huntington Beach: Direct sister concept under T S Restaurants offering the same Hawaiian-inspired seafood menu, Hula Pie, and beachfront full-service model in Huntington Beach; identical brand system, signature dessert, and event programming make it the closest comparable.

Broad incumbents

• Nobu Malibu: Premium global Japanese-seafood brand operating a Malibu beachfront location with full-service dining and event bookings; competes for the same high-end Malibu dining and private-event demand at a higher price point.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DukesMalibu
• Facebookfacebook.com/DukesMalibu
• Instagraminstagram.com/dukesmalibu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dukes-malibu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Duke's Malibu