Howdy's Closes Temporarily After COVID Exposure

MALIBU, CA — Just a few months after reopening, Howdy’s Sonrisa Cafe at The Park in Malibu has temporarily closed due to COVID-19.

“On 12/19, we found out our restaurant was exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Out of an abundance of caution, we immediately closed and began testing our staff,” owner Howdy Kabrins said in a statement. “At Howdy’s, we live by the mantra: Safety is the New Hospitality. We have been in contact with the LA County Health Department and are working above and beyond their guidelines.”

Kabrins said that a thorough cleaning and disinfection will be complete by Thursday morning, and they hope to reopen as soon as possible.

In June, the restaurant reopened after a nearly five-year closure after their daughter Gabriela was killed by her boyfriend in South Africa. The Kabrins relocated to Cape Town to make sure that their daughter’s killer was brought to justice, and slogged through three years trying to make that happen. In Sept. 2018, billionaire Diego Novella was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

On June 15, the restaurant finally reopened in a ceremony presided by Cantor Marcelo Gindlin of the Malibu Jewish Center.