The shiny silver Airstream trailer that houses the eatery Sunsets at Pismo will soon disappear from the Pismo Beach Pier. On Tuesday, the Pismo Beach City Council voted to phase out commercial food operations on the pier, citing zoning regulations.
Sunsets at Pismo has served food from the pier since 2020, but the council’s decision means that the eatery will close in October 2025 when their contract expires. After that, the trailer will be removed and put up for auction.
The two other airstream trailers – housing a visitor center and a bait shop – will remain on the pier since those are considered recreational uses and consistent with current open space zoning.
Owner and chef, Brian Appiano, said the news came as a shock.
“Well, we knew that it was up for bid for a proposal. So we submitted a proposal for the RFP, but we had no idea that they were considering just getting rid of it completely,” he said.
City officials say the decision was not about Appiano specifically. The pier was designated “open space” in 2003, meaning it wasn’t intended for businesses. However, some documents mistakenly listed the part of the pier where the trailer is located as “resort commercial” which allows for businesses. This change from open space to resort commercial was never formally approved.
In an email to KCBX, City Manager Jorge Garcia said that the restaurant was not contacted directly before the meeting, but said that agendas for council meetings are posted publicly online.
“Ultimately the City Council determined that they wanted to ensure consistency with the City’s General Plan/Local Coastal Plan and Zoning Code,” Garcia wrote.
For Appiano, the decision was disappointing not just because of the business impact, but because of what the restaurant meant for his family and staff.
“It’s more of a sense of pride than anything else to be honest with you. One of the reasons that we're really proud of the spot or the location is that we worked a lot with the city,” he said.
Disheartened by the pending closure of the Pismo restaurant, Appiano said he will continue focusing on his other restaurants in San Luis Obispo and his catering business, but he says he is hopeful for another chance in Pismo Beach someday.
“They can always come into the restaurants in San Luis Obispo, and maybe we’ll find a spot in Pismo Beach that’ll house us for a similar sunset vibe,” he said. “But I’d really appreciate the support from the locals coming into our other restaurants if possible, because we need it nowadays more than ever.”
Another one of Appiano’s restaurants did not survive the economic strain placed on the business in the midst of a yearlong revitalization project on Grover Beach’s West Grand Ave.