Editor’s note: Nosh covers food and restaurant news across the East Bay, and each week we publish one article covering all the restaurant openings and one article covering closings. Have a tip for Nosh? Submit it here.
Riggers Loft
As Richmondside’s Joel Umanzor reported earlier this week, after a protracted battle with the city, Riggers Loft, a winery and event space, has closed.
“We wish it could have ended differently but the city had the power, the resources and the final word,” Riggers Loft announced in a Facebook post. “We still believe our case against the unlawful detainer was strong. However, the uncertainty of jury trials and the timing of eviction mean that even a legal victory would come too late to save the business. So we end this chapter and say a sad goodbye to everyone.”
Riggers Loft was at 1325 Canal Blvd. in Richmond.
Starbucks (multiple)
Starbucks is in the process of shuttering hundreds of stores across the country, and many of the branches on the chopping block are in the East Bay, the company announced last week.
Three Oakland stores are closing their doors this week at Broadway and 30th, 2nd Street and Broadway and Lake Park Avenue and Walker Avenue. The store at 3839 Emery St. in Emeryville and at 1799 Solano Ave. in Berkeley are also in their final days. Other East Bay Starbucks closures will hit Danville, at 11000 Crow Canyon Road and 398 Hartz Ave., along with 6000 Bollinger Canyon Road in San Ramon.
A note addressed to customers and posted on the Solano Avenue store reads in part: “We’ve made the incredibly difficult decision to close this Starbucks location by the end of this week. We know this may be hard to hear — because this isn’t just any story. It’s your coffeehouse, a place woven into your daily rhythm, where memories were made, and where meaningful connections with our partners grew over the years. We’re deeply grateful to the community that’s been built here.
We know many of you will be thinking of your favorite partner, and we’re working closely to support our partners through this transition.”
In a letter to employees Sept. 25, Starbucks Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol wrote that the company identified cafes for closure that it believes do not have a path to financial stability or the ability to create the environment customers desire. The company is expecting to cut roughly 500 stores from its U.S. roster, and affected workers will reportedly be offered severance or transfers.
