Live.Eat.Surf Restaurant Group celebrated the grand opening of its sixth K38 Baja Grill location last month. The newest location, 100 N. Lake Park Blvd., was also the first restaurant to open in the Proximity development in Carolina Beach that has more than 25,000 square feet of shopping and dining.

Additional eateries there will include Boombalatti’s, Drift Coffee + Kitchen and Riko’s Pizza.

Live.Eat.Surf Restaurant Group was founded 32 years ago by Josh Vach when he opened his first restaurant and K38 Baja Grill location on Oleander Drive. Vach died from cancer in 2019, and three years ago, Brian Brennan was named president of Live.Eat.Surf Restaurant Group.

“He’s the founder and was the owner-operator for a long time and has had an impact on the community as a philanthropist,” Brennan said about Vach. “He was very popular within the surf community and amongst the very long-tenured team that we’re grateful to have. A number of employees range from 10-20 years of experience with this business, which is pretty unique for restaurants.”

Nationally, the restaurant industry has a 79.6% turnover rate, and the average restaurant employee tenure is 110 days, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, stats that point to the uniqueness of keeping team members around as long as K38 has.

In addition to its Carolina Beach storefront, K38 has four locations in Wilmington and one location in Raleigh. A second Raleigh location is slated to open this fall in Seaboard Station. Also owned and operated by Live.Eat.Surf Restaurant Group is Tower 7, a Baja Mex-inspired restaurant that has one location in Morehead City and one in Wrightsville Beach.

“K38 has been operating in the Cape Fear region for 33 years this summer, which started with our Oleander Location in 1993, and we were just really excited to bring everything about K38 to the Carolina Beach location,” Brennan said. “We’ve always been a growth brand over that time, from multiple concepts to multiple locations, and K38 was an obvious destination to bring our beach and Baja-themed flavors and experience to CB.”

Expanding K38 Baja Grill to Carolina Beach also gave the restaurant group an opportunity to give the restaurant and brand a refresh.

“There are some common touches, but ultimately it’s unique in that it’s brand new,” Brennan said. “We have restaurants that are 28 and 32 years old between Oleander and Porters Neck. Along with our Independence location, Carolina Beach is a brand new take on the brand itself, so just a refreshed interior-exterior design, huge patio, onyx style windows that open to our indoor-outdoor bar, and new touches from a design standpoint.”

As for why Live.Eat.Surf Restaurant Group chose to expand to Carolina Beach, it’s largely because of the growing market and familiarity the Proximity development has, Brennan said.

“We partnered with Cape Fear Commercial on the development side as one of the first businesses that you see coming to the market,” he said.

K38 Baja Grill’s menu is largely inspired by Vach’s time spent on the West Coast, surfing and experiencing the fresh flavors of local taco shops. Its menu is packed with different varieties of tacos, burritos, fajitas, quesadillas, enchiladas, salads and wraps. Its drink menu includes more than eight different margaritas, a variety of mocktails and a selection of domestic and Mexican beers.

“… Vach was the person who welcomed Baja fish tacos to the Cape Fear region,” Brennan said. “That continues to be one of our most popular menu items. We also have a chopped salad that is beautiful and a bit lighter fare for the summertime season. Our cantinarita margaritas, as well as our skinny margaritas, are some of our most popular cocktails.”
As for future expansion, it’s currently in the works.

Tower 7 at Wrightsville Beach recently reopened after going through an extensive remodel. Future growth plans are “currently taking place for 2026 locations and beyond,” Brennan said.

“We hope to continue growing a thriving business and providing opportunities for our guest experience and our team’s own growth individually,” he said. “I came from an operations background. At one point, I was a busser and a dishwasher and worked pretty much every role leading up to my current role, and nothing is more rewarding than being able to provide those opportunities for others.”

As Live.Eat.Surf Restaurant Group juggles its expansion, Brennan notes that many of its “loyal guests” have shown support for K38 Baja Grill’s Carolina Beach expansion.

“It’s a very exciting brand with die-hard guests, loyal guests and people that are really passionate about the business, both amongst our team and within the community,” Brennan said. “It’s a proud brand with very loyal guests that sits minutes away from the ocean.”
 
Correction: This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Josh Vach's name.