Palapas Restaurants vs Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants Franchise Comparison

Palapas Restaurant y Cantina is perched atop the Seascape Village and has been an institution in Aptos since opening its doors in 1990. Owners Mark and Kay Holcomb designed the space and menu with the goal of bringing home their beloved experiences vacationing on the coast of Mexico with their family throughout the 80s and 90s. ​Today we aim to capture that nostalgic vacation feeling while highlighting the natural beauty and bounty native to our own locale. This value is present in our locally sourced, fresh seafood, our commitment to local small purveyors, and even our design, which is built to offer an ocean view of the sparkling Monterey Bay from every single table.

Palapas brings the ambiance of tropical Mexico to the Monterey Bay area in a very unique way. In addition to featuring authentic traditional dishes of Mexico, our menu offers the fish, shellfish and sauces of the coasts of both Mexico and California. All of our dishes are prepared "A La Cocina Fresca”- "in the fresh kitchen method” a Spanish phrase that means exactly what it implies… freshly made sauces, handmade corn tortillas and fresh local seafood and produce prepared daily. In addition to creating a menu with many exiting choices, we’re committed to offering our customers healthy dishes with absolutely no use of any lard or animal fat in their preparation. We use rice-bran oil specifically for frying. Contains no trans fat!

That’s why FORTUNE magazine has put  Kimpton on its “Best Companies To Work For” list nine times. It’s why we score 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index every year. Our guests feel it too - it’s why we’re consistently ranked as a best-loved hospitality company. Our thriving company culture, numerous hospitality career tracks, and rich benefits and perks also make us one of the best places to work. We take care of all of our people with great benefits, like paid time off; medical, dental, and vision plans; life, short-term, and long-term disability insurance; 401(k) with employer matching; 6 weeks paid paternity/maternity leave; back-up child and elder care; robust professional and personal development through our own  Kimpton University; and employee discounts at our 60+ hotels nationwide.

Plus, we throw in some extra Kimpton-style perks, like wellness programs and, of course, pet insurance. We’re a best place to work because we’re driven by our passion for unscripted, heartfelt care. From the first whirl of a hula hoop at your employee orientation (yes, it happens) to every  Kimpton Moment thereafter, you’re going to love it here as much as our guests do.