Overnight millionaire boom fuels LA citys upscale dining craze

Rocket riches could be fueling a sleepy Los Angeles area city’s sudden interest in the finer things.El Segundo, the unassuming South Bay enclave best known for its proximity to LAX and a booming aerospace industry, is quickly emerging as one of Southern California’s hottest dining destinations — just months after area employer SpaceX’s blockbuster IPO famously minted thousands of overnight millionaires.While restaurants across struggling LA are dropping like flies, this sleepy coastal burg of roughly 17,000 residents is experiencing a culinary renaissance — with trendy natural wine bars, upscale eateries and buzzy pizza joints popping up around town.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story SpaceX’s historic June stock market debut reportedly created an estimated 4,000 new millionaires among current and former employees, many of them with local ties.The company maintains a large presence just next door in Hawthorne, even after moving headquarters to Texas in 2024.El Segundo is also home to approximately 100 smaller aerospace firms, according to local officials — which have drawn a whopping $6 billion in venture capital, the California Post earlier reported.

Add it all up, and restaurateurs in El Segundo say business is soaring — straight into the stratosphere.Among the newest arrivals is EZPZ, a trendy Brooklyn-inspired pizza joint that opened in June, serving up pies made with premium California ingredients and organic soft-serve ice cream.The restaurant comes from Hollywood producer Beau Flynn and his wife, actress Marley Shelton Flynn.“We’ve discovered that El Segundo is LA’s best-kept secret,” Flynn told SFGATE after opening EZPZ.

Part of the appeal is the city’s welcoming attitude towards small business, according to Mayor Chris Pime...