The Collective is open in Santa Maria, and features a collection of dining options housed in a modern space that allows patrons to relax and explore menu items ranging from gourmet hot dogs to charcuterie boards and tacos.
Matt Ladin, co-owner of The Collective located at 3546 Skyway Dr., Ste. F in the Skyway Center, said the new business was designed to serve as a “marketplace,” eventually featuring seven different food-service businesses, with a style that mirrors public markets in San Luis Obispo or Santa Barbara.
“We want people to walk in and see a highly curated type of offering. And so when you walk in, you see gourmet hot dogs and charcuterie boards, and coffee and empanadas, and tacos and just something that appeals to everybody,” said Ladin.
Ladin is part of the group that brought the new shared workspace to Santa Maria in 2023 named Flow — a second FLOW workspace location will soon open near The Collective. In combination, the spaces will create a unique lifestyle model for Santa Maria, a kind of “venn diagram of overlapping your professional life, your social life and then your home life,” Ladin said.
Currently, Simple Cafe opens in The Collective at 7 a.m. offering coffee, juices and bites to eat; while The Bar at The Collective, and 805Charcuterie will continue service until 10 p.m.
Tracy Acquistapace and Cindy Roinestan recently stopped by The Collective after a morning workout, exploring the new space with a coffee after stopping by the cafe. Roinestan, who said that she has visited The Collective before, was acting as a guide – pointing out the new business announcements, the seating arrangements and the currently open businesses.
Roinestan said that she has enjoyed time with friends and family at 805 Charcuterie multiple times since the business’ opening, and has visited The Collective during popular sporting events and a recent event for St. Patrick’s Day.
She said the events were fun, and has enjoyed coming in and seeing people and families enjoying the different spaces during the evening.
“They have music here Fridays and Saturday and Sunday. Sometimes they have all three and that’s perfect,” Roinestad said, while also noting the convenience of the location.
According to Ladin, the customer experience described by Roinestad will be elevated with more menu options offering a wide variety of flavors. Maya Mexican Restaurant, located at 110 South Lincoln St. in Santa Maria, will bring some of their celebrated dishes to The Collective within the next couple of weeks, and Ladin said plans for special Cinco de Mayo collaborations with the longtime valley restaurant are already in the works.
Dave’s Dogs, with a Santa Barbara location at 149 South Turnpike Rd., will soon bring a collection of their uniquely crafted hot dogs; the online menu for their Turnpike location lists items like a “jalapeno popper dog”, a “mac-n-cheese dog,” and a “Santa Barbara Style” dog featuring bacon and avocado.
The “curated experience” that Ladin has laid out doesn’t just stop with drinks and dinner; dessert is also planned for diners when Dave’s Drip House, 199 South Turnpike Rd., Suite 104, brings the flavors of premium ice cream and desserts to The Collective space.
“Being able to see somebody walk in and they’re with their family and everybody gets a little of something, and then after they get a cookie at the café and and so that type of thing, where people can have that full experience and try different things,” said Ladin.
Maya and Dave’s Dogs will be the next tenants to open at The Collective, with more on the way. Freda’s Kitchen Artisan Pizza, with locations in Camarillo and Westlake, is expected to bring freshly made pizza to the marketplace soon.
Each restaurant will have its own kitchen space, allowing each to create unique options highlighting their dishes and each diner to enjoy the specific flavor and experience. The dining space itself offers different seating options, with smaller sections for 1-on-1 meals or meetings and communal tables meant to seat larger groups.
The Collective also features a large outdoor seating section in the breezeway near 805Charcuterie. The outdoor space allows for live music performances, fostering a collective theme and energy throughout the dining facilities and allowing for immersive yet individualized experiences following theme nights, holidays or even community events.
A large wrap-around patio will support overflow seating for diners, while potentially allowing for additional vendors to host separate pop-ups throughout the year.
That experience also makes The Collective a spot for meetings, company celebrations and community fundraising events, said Ladin. The facility has already hosted an event for the YMCA and a breakfast gathering for the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce.
