The 50-year-old Boathouse restaurant was booted off the Santa Monica Pier last year to make way for Bubba Gump Shrimp. Despite that the Santa Monica City Council and Pier Restoration Corp., which manages the pier, maintains that they prefer locally-owned, independent businesses, the movie-themed chain restaurant will enter the Santa Monica scene next summer.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 15, 2003. Read the original PDF.