An anticipated Mexican-Italian fusion restaurant planned for the former site of a North Myrtle Beach beachfront tavern will not be coming to the area.
Owners and buyers have different accounts of why it didn’t pan out.
Mexican restaurant Roca Roja Cantina announced in early September that it would cease operations at its 806 Seamount Highway location and open a new restaurant near Myrtle Beach.
La Perla on the Marsh is a new fusion restaurant concept created by the former manager of Roca Roja and one of the hosts of the Marsh’s regular Drag Brunch on the Marsh, aiming to fill the space, offer creative cuisine and continue popular drag performances.
But what was supposed to be a new beginning turned into a saga of financial hurdles and legal battles, with both sides still divided over who is to blame.
Now, the former restaurant remains empty and the long-term home of the drag brunch remains uncertain.
Different accounts of the restaurant’s failure to open
Terry Walden, who runs the Roca Roja Cantina restaurant at 806 Seamount Highway, claims the new restaurant failed because the buyer was short of funds. The property is owned by Marshfront Holdings LLC, which Walden operates with his wife, Jessica Walden.
Walden claimed that the operator of La Perla on the Marsh, a company called Viva Amore LLC, defaulted on their lease, leading to their eviction. Marshfront Holdings LLC posted a notice of relocation to Viva Amore LLC on Dec. 2, court records show.
According to emails obtained by The Sun-News, Walden sent a breach of contract notice on Oct. 8 to Erica Oliden, one of La Perla’s owners and the former manager of Roca Roja. Oliden responded later in the day, saying she and her partners were “doing everything possible to resolve the funding issue.”
Oliden did not respond to a message seeking comment.
Nick Fox, Oliden’s business partner and host of Marsh’s Drag Brunch, paints a different picture. Fox claimed that past-due taxes on the property prevented the new business from obtaining necessary permits. He told The Sun that La Perla has several investors and money is not an issue.
According to emails obtained by The Sun-News, Oliden told Jessica Walden that the South Carolina Department of Revenue denied Viva Amore’s application for a retail license because taxes were not paid on the previous business. Jessica Walden responded that the city’s business licensing department and inspectors confirmed that unpaid property taxes would not prevent Viva Amore from obtaining a business license.
She added that breaches of the lease remained.
Department of Revenue spokesman Tim Smith said that while he could not comment on the specifics of the case, “being delinquent on property taxes does not prevent us from issuing retail licenses.”
Tax sparks debate over future of restaurants
Fox said past-due taxes on the property led to the notice that the space would be auctioned off — a threat he said he knew nothing about when he was doing business on the property.
He said there was no guarantee Viva Amore’s lease would still be valid if the property was purchased.
Terry Walden confirmed the unpaid taxes almost led to the property being auctioned, which will be held in the first week of December. However, he said the taxes were paid before the auction.
The Horry County Tax Delinquent Office confirmed to The Sun that taxes on the property were paid prior to the auction, and that the properties on the December auction list obtained from the county did not include the 806 Seamount Highway property.
The Department of Revenue declined to comment on specific details of the case, such as the amount of overdue taxes.
County tax records show Marshfront Holdings LLC paid just over $40,600 in real estate taxes on Nov. 14, 2025, which were issued at the end of September 2024. Records also show Marshfront Holdings LLC has a pending balance of more than $35,000, issued on September 26, 2025.
Walden said Fox’s claims painted a “false narrative” and that not only did the unpaid taxes not affect La Perla’s permit, but the operators of Viva Amore “were aware of it all.”
Walden claimed the licensing difficulties came from “misinformation,” but that was quickly resolved. He said Viva Amore told the Department of Revenue that it was buying rather than leasing space for the new business. Walden said the unpaid taxes were a hindrance because the licensing department considered Mi Casa, owned by Roca Roja, to be a party to the deal.
But La Perla is just leasing the space. The Department of Revenue then sent further questions to Jessica Walden and Oliden on October 15, as shown in the email chain.
Restaurants, drag on performance, future remains uncertain
Fox and Oliden were initially taking legal action following the incident at the restaurant, Fox said. He claimed the transactions were “shady” and appeared to be an attempt to “scam” money out of himself and his partners. He said he invested $50,000 in the company and Oliden invested $20,000 – money they would never get back.
“This guy knew what he was doing,” he said of Walden.
Now, the building remains empty and La Perla no longer plans to open there. The restaurant is still listed for sale online for more than $2.5 million.
Fox said the drag brunch has been held at the bar for about a year, but it has been difficult to find a new, consistent location to host the event.
