Demolition proposed for legendary Calif. roadside stop Pea Soup Andersen's
Video above from past coverage.
Pea Soup Andersen’s in Buellton was a century-old California roadside icon. In 2024, it served its last signature bowl of the eponymous green goodness to road-weary guests. Now, a notorious developer is proposing a massive multiuse development on the current structure’s footprint.
Questions and concerns over what’s next for Pea Soup Andersen’s began to surface in 2021 when the property was first listed for sale for just under $5 million. Speculation about the must-stop restaurant in the heart of the Central Coast reached a boiling point in January 2024 when the business shuttered without warning.
With the new development, the original building seems destined for a date with the wrecking ball.
New structure 'trying to play off the historic origins of Pea Soup Andersen's'
The proposed project at the site “envisions a mixed-use building with commercial spaces on the ground floor along the street frontages and residential units on the upper floor,” reads Buellton’s website dedicated to the proposed project. “The plan includes 125 for-sale condominium units, offering a mix of one-bedroom and one-bedroom-plus-den layouts.”
If approved and built, a new art deco-style building at 376 Ave. of Flags will include 6,800 square feet of office space, a 5,734-square-foot gym and a central courtyard split into two spaces. “The residential units will also occupy portions of the ground floor surrounding the courtyard,” the project plan also says.
And Pea Soup Andersen’s could rise again in a 4,595-square-foot restaurant space, according to the plan.
“The building will be designed in an art deco architectural vernacular consistent with the Avenue of Flags Specific Plan,” according to a September 2024 memo from Lonnie Roy, a project planner with ON Design Architects, to Irma Tucker, a contract city planner for Buellton’s Planning Department. “The form also is trying to play off the historic origins of Pea Soup Andersen’s as Andersen’s Electric Café. The remainder of the building is more of a classical art deco style with elements of art moderne.”
The city of Buellton has not yet set a timeline for review of the proposed redevelopment project. Buellton releases a monthly list of major projects underway, and on March 24, it noted that the development at 376 Ave. of Flags has a conceptual review in front of the Planning Commission that is still “TBD.”
Isla Vista mega-landlord grows development footprint in Santa Ynez Valley
The developer behind the project is called SBID LLC c/o Ed St. George, which purchased Pea Soup Andersen’s restaurant and lounge, as well as the adjoining parking lot, for $4.95 million in May 2024.
Ed St. George has many development interests. He may best be known for his property management company St. George and Associates, a mega-renter to college students in Santa Barbara and Isla Vista. He is a polarizing and well-known figure in Santa Barbara County, with local news outlet Noozhawk describing him as “one of Santa Barbara’s most prominent and controversial developers.” The Yelp page for his property management company currently has 1.5 stars.
The landlord/developer relocated his family to the Santa Ynez Valley in 2021 and immediately started to invest in the area. In fact, a pair of large-scale developments are underway in downtown Solvang, courtesy of St. George. One major project, known as the Lilisod Hotel, located in the heart of Solvang at Alisal Road and Mission Drive, broke ground in December 2023, with construction still in progress, Solvang officials confirmed.
“Mr. St. George is currently constructing a 9-unit cottage hotel that continues Solvang’s rich Danish architectural traditions, featuring a charming European-style garden within the project’s interior,” Solvang planning manager Rafael Castillo wrote SFGATE on Tuesday. “He will soon begin construction on the adaptive re-use of the adjacent former bank building, transforming it into a new restaurant and market.”
The second project, known as Denmarket Square, “will introduce residential units into long-vacant office spaces and provide a much-needed facade enhancement,” Castillo continued. “The City of Solvang remains committed to working with Mr. St. George and other applicants to preserve and enhance the vibrancy of the historic Solvang Village.”
2 million cups of soup served per year
In the meantime, the Pea Soup Andersen’s building sits empty. It has been designated a local historic landmark, though that designation does not preclude it from being torn down, local officials told the Santa Ynez Valley Star.
Locals, especially those who work in close proximity to Pea Soup Andersen’s, are hopeful that whatever happens can both help revive the heart of Buellton and honor a little bit of the restaurant’s history, which remains personal to many.
The original restaurant was opened by Danish immigrants Juliette and Anton Andersen in 1924 as a highway stop on the increasingly popular stretch of road between the Los Angeles Basin and the Bay Area. The restaurant also served as the gateway to the Santa Ynez Valley.
At the height of its popularity, the restaurant claimed it served around 2 million cups of soup to locals and travelers per year. It was such a draw that it buoyed other businesses in the region.
“When it first happened, we had people coming over here and asking what happened because they came for Andersen’s Pea Soup, and got here and it’s closed,” Riley Vannasap, who was born and raised in the Santa Ynez Valley, told SFGATE on Monday. Vannasap currently works at Mother Hubbard’s Restaurant, another long-standing Buellton staple that’s across the street from the Pea Soup Andersen’s property.
“My mom worked there, that was her first job. And then it was my older sister’s first job,” Vannasap continued. “I didn’t go for years before they closed. I think everyone is waiting to see what’s next.”
See more coverage of top Central Coast stories | Download our app / Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel