The Fish Tale restaurant, owned by Jerry and John Bloeser, will close Aug. 1. An E.J. Malloy’s Pub will move into the location at 5506 E. Britton Dr.
Staff Writer
The Fish Tale, which has served Long Beach’s Los Altos neighborhood for decades, is set to close Aug. 1. An E.J. Malloy’s Pub will move into the restaurant’s location at 5506 E. Britton Dr.
“Nothing’s forever,” co-owner Jerry Bloeser said. “John and I have enjoyed being a part of the Fish Tale for 37 years.”
Brothers Jerry and John Bloeser opened The Fish Tale in 1977, after restaurateur-friend John Faber convinced them to take a chance with a vacant property the brothers were struggling to lease.
“I thought, ‘Gosh, that’s an interesting idea,’ so I brought it back to my brother and father, and they thought it was interesting,” Bloeser said. “I went to the architect that built most of these buildings, got a plan, got a food consultant, and the next thing [was] we opened.”
Bloeser remembers the restaurant’s opening night as an exciting, albeit overwhelming, experience. Customers lined up around the block and, after a few rounds, even depleted the bar’s cash reserves.
“The bartender told me, ‘Jerry, I don’t have any money in the cash register.'” Bloeser said.
He asked a busboy to run to a local liquor store to break down the $800 cash his father had handy that night.
“What about until then?” the bartender asked Bloeser.
“Buy ’em a drink,” Bloeser replied.
Bloeser expects a similar rush for the restaurant’s closing night, July 31. The restaurant will serve a limited menu to accommodate the hundreds of regulars they anticipate.
“We expect to be busy, and we hope that our customers, our friends that have been our customers for so many years, come back and get their final taste of the Fish Tale,” he said.
Regulars won’t have to say any last goodbyes, though— the new E.J. Malloy’s location will retain all of The Fish Tale’s old staff.
“The most important thing for John and I was finding a company that would hang on to our people,” Bloeser said. “Couples have met here and married… Grandkids [of former employees] have come in to ask for a job.”
E.J. Malloy’s owner Brent Brakebill will strip down wall décor and remove the restaurant’s fish tanks in preparation for the pub’s third location.
“It’s going to be a pretty big change from a fine-dining restaurant to a gastropub, catering to a different crowd— a younger crowd,” he said.
“It’s sad, but it’s time,” he added.
The Bloeser brothers will keep their floor-covering business next door, but Bloeser said it is time to pare down their responsibilities as they start their retirement. John, the older Bloeser brother, has been fighting a serious medical condition.
Bloeser said his children did not plan to take over the business but the family is open to continuing their restaurant’s legacy.
“[If] someone who wants to get into …the restaurant business, wants a logo and a name and an instant following, we would be interested in talking with them,” Bloeser said.
Whether or not fans are interested in buying the franchise for themselves, the Bloesers asked their regulars to keep in touch in a heartfelt post on the restaurant’s website:
On November 22, 1977, The Fish Tale Restaurant opened its doors to its first customers. This coming August 1, 2014, it will close its doors for the last time.
We want to thank you, our customers, for making The Fish Tale Restaurant the oldest seafood restaurant in Long Beach. For 36 years we have come to know you and regard you as our friends.
We are proud of the hundreds of cooks, dishwashers, servers, receptionists, and managers we’ve employed over these many years, and we are grateful for their service. We have taken pleasure in hiring the brothers, sisters, and the children of former employees. The many Fish Tale romances and marriages have enriched our lives. We will miss our extensive Fish Tale family.
It is a difficult to close the restaurant and say goodbye to all our Fish Tale friends; however, it’s time to say farewell and thank you to all.
