For Georgia’s new owner, Lisa Hemmat-Lupercio, hospitality has always been about more than what’s on the menu. It is about bringing people together, creating experiences, and, above all, having a good time.
“I was born and raised in it,” Hemmat-Lupercio said. Her parents owned a tavern, restaurant, and nightclubs in Washington State, and she grew up working every side of the business, from hosting and answering phones to serving and bookkeeping. She spent part of her childhood on 80 acres in Conway, Washington, surrounded by horses, cows, chickens, and even a pet deer named Bambi.
By high school, her entrepreneurial instincts were already showing. When her cheerleading team needed to raise money, she came up with the idea of hosting underage nightclub events on Sundays before Monday holidays. The events were a massive success. “I didn't even care about making money. I was just doing it for fun,” she recalled. “It really got me into promoting.”
That love of entrepreneurship brought Hemmat-Lupercio to USC, where she studied business with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. After graduation, she set out to find a venture of her own. She found Lido in Manhattan Beach and fell in love with the restaurant and community. In 2004, she purchased it and built lasting relationships with employees and generations of customers.
Now, 22 years later, she has added another South Bay institution to her story. On March 20, 2026, Hemmat-Lupercio officially became the owner of Georgia’s Lounge in Redondo Beach.
She wasn't looking to buy another business, but Georgia’s changed that. She loved its reputation, clientele, atmosphere, and especially its craft cocktail program. “This is not your bar that's making your typical drinks,” Hemmat-Lupercio explained. “This is well thought out, like the dehydrated syrups that are being made… All the things that go into making the cocktail menu.”
Keary Bixby, Georgia’s Hospitality Operations & Marketing Director, works alongside Hemmat-Lupercio to highlight what makes the cocktail program so distinctive. “There are so few places in the South Bay that offer true craft cocktails—created on-site,” Bixby said. “Our mixologists study and practice the skill of creating these drinks, treating flavor blending like a science or fine art.” Every cocktail begins with fresh, seasonal ingredients, premium spirits, and classic techniques, carefully balanced for flavor, aroma, texture, and presentation.
Led by mixologist Joe Fischer, the bar continuously experiments with new ingredients, introducing seasonal offerings several times a year. One standout addition is Georgia’s fresh take on the frosé—a fan favorite carried over from Playa Hermosa, which Hemmat-Lupercio and her husband recently sold.
While cocktails remain central to Georgia’s identity, Hemmat-Lupercio has also put her own touch on the food program. Because Georgia's kitchen is small, she leverages Lido’s larger kitchen to prepare fresh ingredients, sauces, and other items. The changes include bringing back Georgia’s popular fries, adding ahi sashimi, two flatbreads, steak, and fresh chicken. “I don't want to ruin a good thing. I want to make things better,” she said.
That philosophy extends directly to her leadership. Stepping into the new role, Hemmat-Lupercio was greeted by an exceptional staff and a dedicated customer base excited for her vision. She aims to build on what already works while giving her talented team room to innovate.
It’s an approach Hemmat-Lupercio calls “calculated risk”—trying fresh ideas while preserving the core character of the business. At Georgia’s, that means introducing private events, live music, Sunday football, and eventually an upgraded patio featuring an outdoor kitchen, pizza oven, grill, and performance stage.
“I’m not turning Georgia’s into some totally different thing,” she said. “But I might try a night where we try out something kind of new and fresh… without losing the integrity of the overall business.”
Through it all, fun is at the heart of Hemmat-Lupercio’s vision. “I have fun by other people having fun and being able to tell stories and laugh,” she said. “Now, I love connecting with people. I love connecting other people together. I love sharing good times—and I still love dancing.”
Her ties to the South Bay make this chapter especially meaningful. She still owns her first home in North Redondo Beach and has spent years involved in Manhattan Beach Rotary, including serving as president. Through civic work and local commerce, she has experienced firsthand how closely the South Bay community supports its local businesses and schools. “The South Bay has taught me that community is like family,” she said. “I like strategic partnerships, and I like lasting partnerships that become friendships.”
For Hemmat-Lupercio, that community spirit is the cornerstone of true hospitality. “People that want to go out and spend their hard-earned money want to feel good,” she said. “They want to feel comfortable. They want to feel attended to. They want to be treated how we'd all like to be treated.” To her, hospitality means feeling “at home, appreciated, and valued.”
Outside of work, family anchors Hemmat-Lupercio’s life. She and her husband, Levi, have one daughter, eight-year-old Livia—whose name blends Lisa and Levi—along with their two dogs, Lexi and Luna. “[Livia] is my little buddy. She’s my little mini, and we always are just having a good time together. I’m so thankful.”
That same spirit of joy and connection runs through all that Hemmat-Lupercio does. She describes herself as a “yes” person who loves turning creative ideas into reality. Looking back on her career, she says she is most proud of the relationships and community she has built, and of working hard while still making time to play. “Friendships mean everything, so does family,” she said.
At Georgia’s, Hemmat-Lupercio hopes to create that feeling for her guests. “I always want everyone to feel welcome, and I want them to feel valued as a customer,” she said. “I want them to experience a great cocktail. I want them to experience good food and good service.”
But more than anything, she wants people to leave feeling connected—to the people they came with, the people they met, and the memories they made. “I want them to feel like, ‘Wow, that was fun.’”
That is what Hemmat-Lupercio has been building all along—not simply businesses, but places where people feel welcome, friendships take root, and good times become lasting memories. At Georgia’s, she gets to keep doing what she has always loved: bringing people together and giving them a reason to stay a little longer, laugh a little louder, and have a good time.