Vagabond Restaurant, a 50-plus year institution in Ventura, to close its doors Jan. 1

It’s not true that nothing has changed in the five decades the Vagabond Restaurant has been open in Ventura.

Owner Albert McBee, who went by “Mac,” died 15 years ago and his presence is still missed by longtime customers. It’s harder to find nearby parking these days. And they’ve stopped serving red snapper.

But that’s about it. For much of the 51 years the diner has been open on Thompson Boulevard, the food, the ambiance and the jovial nature of the wait staff have stayed the same.

“Best food in town,” said Hugo Goerner, a customer for three decades. “This is the only place where they bring you food like your mom used to make.”

Big changes are in store for the restaurant that up until now seemed untouched by time.

McBee’s wife, Jolene McBee, who is always found at the end of the counter watching plates of the “hobo breakfast” fly out of the kitchen, is retiring.

“This has been my life,” said McBee, 74. “I love this place and I love the people.”

McBee plans to close the restaurant on Jan. 1, ending a chapter of her life that began 44 years ago when she started as a waitress.

The restaurant, attached to the Vagabond Inn, will close for remodeling and will reopen sometime in the future.

McBee dispelled rumors that she was kicked out. Her lease with the Vagabond property owners is up in January and she had planned to retire. She had hoped her longtime chef would take over.

But the property owners have other plans. 

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Zach Cohen, who runs special projects for Vagabond, said some of the restaurant equipment is not up to current code and there are plans to replace it. He said the process to remodel and obtain up-to-date permits could take “months or longer.”

The plan is to keep the restaurant as a diner and continue serving customer favorites. Cohen said it wouldn’t make sense to take popular items off the menu, but dishes customers aren’t ordering anymore will be gone.

Cohen said he doesn’t know how much of the current furniture will remain.

“One thing we do know though is we’re hiring a Ventura-based chef. We plan on sourcing all local Ventura produce, and we’re keeping all local favorites,” Cohen said.

As for rehiring the current staff, Cohen said he can’t make any promises because he doesn’t know when the restaurant will reopen.

“They have just as good an opportunity to work there as another person,” Cohen said. “If you’re the best for the job, we’re more than happy to have you on board.”

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Phil Espinoza, who has been coming to the restaurant with his wife, Cathy, for at least 20 years, is skeptical.

“I will not be back,” he said. “I’m loyal. This is like a home. It’s not IHOP.”

The reactions to the restaurant closing and changing hands have been swift and, at times, tear-filled.

A petition to keep it open is circulating on a yellow legal pad. There’s a social media effort encouraging customers to express their displeasure to the property owners. One customer set up a GoFundMe page.

“They’re sad, mad, devastated and heartbroken,” McBee said about her customers. “The love and support I’ve received, it’s just overwhelming.”

McBee said she’s concerned about her employees, who include her daughter and daughter-in-law.

“Change is inevitable. Most of us oldies don’t want change,” she said. “Life goes on. I learned that when my husband died.”

McBee met her late husband at the restaurant when she was a waitress and he was the manager. A portrait of him is on the wall near the entrance just above a sign reminding customers that personal checks aren’t accepted.

A longtime Ventura resident, McBee is originally from a town outside San Antonio. She has kept a trace of a Southern drawl, although she thinks she has lost it.

When customers say hello or goodbye, McBee likes to turn from her counter seat and hold their hand with both of hers.

Over endless coffee, customers complete their newspaper crossword puzzles. Some eat breakfast and then order another meal to take home for dinner. One customer only gets the Belgian waffle with pecans. Another customer always gets the Western omelette.

“I think I’ve tried everything on the menu, except for liver,” Doug Mulvihill said between bites of chicken-fried steak and country gravy.

His wife, Rebecca Mulvihill, said they’ve tasted gravy from Solvang to Calabasas but Vagabond’s is the best.

“The food is great because they put love in it,” Doug Mulvihill said.

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The couple likes to sit at one corner of the counter to watch the wait staff fight over orders of toast coming out of the kitchen. They call it “waitress drama.”

During the holidays, Rebecca Mulvihill hands out homemade tamales from an old family recipe. She concludes every visit by giving McBee a hug.

“You’re not just hurting the people who work here when you close down a place,” Doug Mulvihill said. “You’re hurting the people who come here.”

Pancakes, hash browns, and steak and eggs are popular staples at Vagabond. But on weekends, there’s menudo and on Sunday night there’s a turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

That’s all thanks to chef Christopher Castillo, who has worked at the restaurant since 1970. He said he learned everything from “Mac.”

Through the years, he’s watched customers come and go. Some have been coming longer than he’s been working.

Castillo said he’s very concerned about what’s next.

“I’m 59 and I’m out of a job,” he said.

Seeing the restaurant close is like losing a loved one.

“My heart is going to die,” Castillo said.

McBee is taking all of these changes in stride. She hopes her workers will qualify for unemployment benefits until they find a new job. She said she’ll be OK. She believes the restaurant will be OK.

“It’ll reopen,” she said. “Who knows? It might be better.”

McBee pauses to consider her prediction.

“I know,” she said. “How can that be possible?”

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