The celebration has already begun and will culminate with a big party on July 4, live music by the California Cowboys and, of course, hobby horse races. The story of Nick’s is a story of four generations engaged in a family business which evolved together with the North Coast.
It began in 1927 when Charles Gust, formerly Stelios Karagiannis, a young immigrant from Greece, came to Rockaway Beach. He worked for the Ocean Shore railroad doing pick and shovel labor. It was love at first sight when he first came across Rockaway Beach and saw its sheltered cove. He paid $150 for his first lot, saved his earnings to buy nine more and, as a side business, opened a country store with a window for dispensing hamburgers, a gasoline pump outside and ice cream and fishing bait for sale. There wasn’t much going on at Rockaway Beach at the time. It was a rather deserted area which filled up on weekends when people came to the beach to fish in the surf and build castles in the sand.
But he had to build the Rockaway cafe three times before it officially opened. The first two efforts were burned down by an arsonist. The third time he used stucco. The family lived in Daly City and just operated the store on weekends. It was a family affair. Charlie’s wife, Anastasia, did the cooking, the children helped out too. The hamburgers were a big success. On a busy day, up to 30 to 40 pounds were consumed.
It wasn’t long before the family moved to Rockaway to operate their cafe full time. Maybe it was because the trip from Daly City took so long. The road was in bad shape and the fog often made it impossible to see. Sometimes the children had to get out of the car and guide Charlie with flashlights. When the Depression hit, Gust thought he would lose his short order business. But a friend’s loan allowed the Gusts to keep the cafe despite attempts by developer Tom Callan to buy him out.
Son Nick tended bar at his dad’s place for a year after he got out of high school. But he had a new vision for the family business. Charlie Gust anticipated that any increase in the area’s population made a restaurant viable and Nick Gust took that vision and ran with it, eventually expanding the work his father had done, growing the business enterprise as the community of Pacifica grew. Together with Lorraine Pendola, who he married in 1947, Nick began building on his parents’ legacy, increasing the size and scope of the family business through several expansions and additions, including the Sea Breeze Motel in 1953.
With a loan from his father-in-law, he remodeled the beachfront store into Nick’s Rockaway cafe in 1948, featuring cocktails, dinner and dancing. Hobby horse racing became regular Friday night entertainment. Nick and Lorraine worked night and day for the next 20 years to convert the short order business into a nice dining house. It was opened 7 days a week beginning at 8 a.m. every day. When business improved, it often stayed open until 3 a.m. A 16-hour day was typical. One of the favorite items on the menu was an abalone sandwich for $1.25.
In 1957, the nine coast hamlets loosely connected by Highway One were incorporated as the city of Pacifica. Even though Nick Gust was originally against it, he eventually served on the City Council and as mayor. He died in 2013 at the age of 92.
Third generation Chuck literally grew up in the restaurant. Lorraine brought the baby to the bar or the kitchen every day while she worked. Chuck and his sister Kathy went to work when they were young children. Chuck started out dishwashing, then moved up to waiting tables and became a busboy at 14. Kathy put tomatoes and cucumbers on the salad plates when she was in high school. When she was old enough, she hosted in the front and later worked on banquets. In time, Chuck would become the general manager of Nick’s restaurant. Now Chuck’s daughter Lena is being primed to carry on the family tradition.
“ 90 Years at Rockaway Beach” by Tess Black tells it all. In the dedication, Chuck writes: “It was important for me to document the early days of our lives in Rockaway Beach when folks earned $1.50 a day or when anyone could buy a house lot or a horse for $25. Life consisted of hard work, long days and short nights. Your word and a handshake were all you needed to establish trust.” Happy 90th anniversary to all the Gusts!
Sue Lempert is the former mayor of San Mateo.
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