Pea Soup Andersen’s, the legendary California restaurant that served generations of roadtrippers, is headed for demolition.
The classic roadside stop had nearly hit its 100th anniversary when it suddenly closed two years ago. The restaurant, off Highway 246 in Buellton, put the gateway town to the Santa Inez Valley on the map, serving millions of bowls of soup annually at its peak. But post-COVID, the restaurant struggled and, with no warning, Pea Soup Andersen’s closed in January 2024.
Since the closure, the lot has fallen into disrepair, becoming a frequent target for vandals and trespassers, city manager Scott Wolfe said at Thursday’s Buellton City Council meeting. Wolfe said that on recent walkthroughs, he observed a “tremendous amount of vandalism,” as well as unsafe conditions.
“We want to avoid a catastrophe there. We want to avoid either the building burning down and taking all of it with it, or someone being injured or being killed within the building,” he said.
People have been breaking in to “shoot videos that you’d later find on Facebook or TikTok,” Wolfe said, and there are concerns that what remains of historical significance may soon be looted or destroyed. “The longer the building remains there, the fewer aspects of historical significance will remain,” he said.
Pea Soup Andersen’s mascots Hap-Pea and Pea-Wee, drawn by former Disney animator Milt Neil, adorn the original Pea Soup Andersen’s property in Buellton, Calif. The century-old restaurant may be razed and redeveloped by its new owner. Pictured here on April 14, 2025. (Andrew Pridgen/SFGATE)
The city council voted unanimously on Thursday to remove its local historical landmark designation, a status bestowed upon the site in 2020 when it went up for sale. The designation was made then in the hopes that some of it could be preserved when it found new owners, but Thursday’s vote means most of the site can now be demolished. Wolfe said the city would work with the property owner, developer Ed St. George, to preserve items that haven’t already been removed from the building, like the iconic signs, artwork and stained glass windows.
The Bueltmore Hotel, which was built in the 1920s and is the oldest part of the 3-acre parcel, will be preserved for its historic significance. Wolfe said other buildings, including the famed restaurant, were newer additions and not as historic in nature.
By demolishing the unsafe buildings, Wolfe said the city hopes the smaller footprint will be easier to monitor for trespassers. There’s no timeline yet for demolition, as several issues will need to be agreed upon with the property owner, but Wolfe stressed it would happen “as quickly as possible.”
St. George initially planned to build a mixed-use complex on the site, including condos, retail and office space. But more recently, he’s said it’s not yet been decided what will replace the famed restaurant at 376 Avenue of the Flags.
“Right now it’s just sitting while we can get things figured out,” he told the Santa Barbara News-Press last week.
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This article originally published at California roadside icon Pea Soup Andersen’s, closed for years, to be demolished.