Businesses are still struggling in Malibu after Palisades fire

Six months after the Palisades fire roared down Pacific Coast Highway, the Country Kitchen in Malibu is open for business, but many customers have yet to return.

- Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Tribune News

The no-frills eatery features a few outdoor tables and ocean views, nestled in a narrow parking lot alongside a liquor store and gift shop. The restaurant, which opened in 1972, is literally a hole in the wall. It serves breakfast burritos all day and burgers out of a window. It wasn’t destroyed by the fires but had extensive smoke damage. It was cut off from most of its customers for close to five months, waiting for the highway to reopen. Business is a lot better than it was a couple of months ago, but still well below what the restaurant would usually see this time of year.