It seems to have something to do with the new owner of the Arcade. In my opinion, The proposal that the arcade owner presented to the chew chew owner was not cost beneficial to the latter. Now the Arcade owner has another empty tenant space.
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7/3/2007 10:00:00 PM Email this article —ยข Print this article
Photo by Josh Hawkins
So long: Chew Chew Cafe owner Scott Zimmer (left) talks with Glenna Linder during a customer appreciation party last Sunday, the day after the restaurant officially closed for business in Riverside.
Chew Chew checks out after 11 years in Riverside
New Riverside location not ruled out
By BOB UPHUES
Monday afternoon was a busy one for Scott Zimmer, owner of the Chew Chew Cafe in downtown Riverside. But he wasn't overseeing lunch service. He was packing up. Monday was moving day for Chew Chew Cafe, which in its 11 years became a Riverside institution and, for many, one of the few reasons to travel to downtown Riverside after 6 p.m.
Chew Chew Cafe served its last dinners on Saturday, June 30 during a weekend that Zimmer was both "incredibly busy and very emotional." On Sunday, July 1, the restaurant was mobbed by well wishers during a goodbye party to which the entire village was invited.
By Monday afternoon, tables were covered with stacks of plates and glassware as restaurant staff began moving out for good.
"I've just been trying to keep things positive," Zimmer said. "You never want to close a business, especially one with a loyal following."
The closure of the restaurant was not entirely surprising, since the future of every business in the historic Arcade Building at 1 Riverside Road has been a subject of speculation since its owners announced plans for renovation in 2005. Since that time nearly every business has vacated the building. When Chew Chew Cafe closed its doors Sunday, Grumpy's Cafe became the building's last remaining tenant.
Don Price, president of the Wexford Development Group, said that his firm was interested in keeping the Chew Chew Cafe as a tenant and had sent a proposal to Zimmer. However, Price said, Zimmer did not respond, leading Wexford to issue a notice last month for the restaurant to vacate the building.
"Our proposal's still out there," Price said.
Zimmer declined to reveal plans for a future restaurant location, and did not rule out Riverside as a possibility, saying Chew Chew has built a solid customer base in the village.
"It would make sense for us to duplicate the restaurant in this community," Zimmer said.
But Zimmer also said that since news of Chew Chew's closure spread, he's been bombarded by calls from other towns, developers and property owners asking if Zimmer might want to try another location.
"A lot of things are on the table for us now," Zimmer said. "We'll have to sort out all the options."
In 1996 at the age of 27, Zimmer started the Chew Chew Cafe as a coffee/sandwich shop with financing that was "the equivalent of a car loan."
Although he had worked in the restaurant business for years before that, it was Zimmer's first solo effort.
"A lot of people questioned why I would work 16 hours a day running a sandwich and coffee shop," Zimmer said. "It took years for it to make any kind of financial sense."
The key to success, said Zimmer, was attracting people from outside Riverside. That would take transforming the sandwich shop into an upscale restaurant.
Chew Chew Cafe was revolutionary in its own way. It was the first Riverside restaurant to receive a liquor license and set the stage for other venues such as Victory Lanes and Parallel 42, both now gone, to receive liquor licenses.
Zimmer said that it is possible for restaurants to succeed in Riverside, although the village's small size is scary to many investors.
"A restaurant in Riverside requires ownership presence; it needs a hands-on touch," said Zimmer. "Chain restaurants might not view [Riverside] as good. But aspiring restaurateurs might take a risk."
In the meantime, renovation of the Arcade Building's will begin soon, according to Price, beginning with window replacement and then with the office spaces on the second and third floors of the building. The firm also plans to renovate the first-floor lobby, including the installation of new restrooms.
Posted Wednesday Jul 4, 2007 16:47
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