From busser to owner. That’s Sara Skrinski’s journey.

Arnoldi’s Cafe, an iconic Santa Barbara Italian restaurant, reopened this week under Skrinski’s ownership. She is the daughter of David Peri, who owned the restaurant until he died earlier this year.

Skrinski acquired the restaurant and formed a new LLC. It’s a new business with the same Arnoldi’s food and charm.

“I worked here before my dad even bought it,” Skrinski said. “I worked here as a busser in high school.”

She believed she had no choice but to take over the business.

“The thought of losing my dad and Arnoldi’s, I couldn’t,” she said. “I didn’t want some new-to-Santa Barbara person, which people wanted it to come in. I would be devastated. I would probably leave Santa Barbara. I couldn’t drive by here anymore. I just had to save it.”

Arnoldi’s was founded by Giuseppe and Ilda Arnoldi in 1937 at 421 E. Cota St. In 1940, Giuseppe, known as Joe, quarried local stone and built the present restaurant at 600 Olive St., according to the company’s website. A classic Italian restaurant rooted in Santa Barbara’s history, it offers a slice of culture and community, with competitive bocce ball tournaments in the back.

The restaurant’s menu is the same, but Skrinski changed the red tablecloths to white for a new look. The red doors and window frames remain.

The restaurant is open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and on NFL Sundays, it will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The abrupt closure in May reverberated throughout Santa Barbara circles. However, since the reopening, the restaurant has been packed and people are enjoying its next chapter.

“It’s been kind of fun, because I am starting over,” Skrinski said.

Soft Opening for Alma Fonda Fina

People can get a taste of Ramon Velasquez’s latest restaurant innovation this weekend.

Velasquez is holding a soft opening for Alma Fonda Fina in the Montecito Country Mart.

The restaurant will be open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, noon to 10 p.m. Sunday and noon to 9 p.m. Monday.

The site is the former Little Alex’s. Velasquez is also the owner of Corazon Comedor and Corazon Cocina.

Megan Bravo Joins Alma Rosa Winery

Megan Bravo has been hired as director of business development for Alma Rosa Winery.

Bravo will oversee all direct-to-consumer channels, including tasting experiences at Alma Rosa’s downtown Solvang tasting room and historic Ranch House in Buellton, according to a news release. She also will manage Alma Rosa’s website, its wine club and direct marketing.

Most recently, she worked as the business development manager at Folded Hills.

She has a bachelor’s degree in international studies from California State University, Long Beach and brings 20 years of experience in the wine industry to her role at Alma Rosa.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bravo launched a nonprofit monthly meeting series for direct-to-consumer managers to incite peer engagement and collaboration, which she continues to run today, according to a news release.

Santa Barbara Sales and Hotel Bed Taxes Down

Sales tax revenues came in 4% under budget for the 2024 fiscal year, according to the City of Santa Barbara.

The city received $7.8 million during the final quarter of the year. The city had anticipated $30.6 million in sales tax money coming in for the year.

The city has collected $4 million in transient occupancy taxes for July, the first month in the city’s fiscal year; that amount is 3% below budget.

It also collected $3.6 million from hotels and $400,000 from short-term rentals.