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After spending 30 years on Santa Barbara’s waterfront, El Torito Restaurant closed its doors this week after the owners were unable to renew their lease.
The Mexican food restaurant at 29 E. Cabrillo Blvd. closed for good Sunday, displacing workers who were offered positions in other restaurants owned by Real Mex Restaurants, according to Jared Dougherty, the company’s senior vice president of marketing.
“While we looked at other options for the location, including a potential re-branding, we were unable to reach a long-term agreement for the location,” he told Noozhawk.
Dougherty said Real Mex was no longer the tenant as of this week, having to unfortunately abandon a location El Torito has occupied since 1985.
“We have closed this location and apologize for any inconvenience,” the company wrote in a message posted outside the closed and cleaned-out location.
“We appreciate your patronage and look forward to our next opportunity to serve you at one of our 54 other restaurant locations.”
Employees at Wheel Fun Rental next door — also a bit encumbered by the nearby construction — said the restaurant owners had been thinking about closing for about a year, knowing their lease was up soon.
The next nearest El Torito location is in Oxnard.
Joint Chiropractic Opens
The national Joint Chiropractic chain has opened a new clinic in Goleta at 5741 Calle Real.
BW Brownley Chiropractic Corp. owns the Goleta clinic, which is managed by The Joint Corp., one of the fastest-growing franchisers in health care.
No appointments are necessary, and patients can choose from several plans and packages.
Regular clinic hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Yes Store Returns to Santa Barbara
The Yes Store reopened this month at 807 State St. in Santa Barbara.
The Yes Store is the nation’s longest running artisan holiday cooperative (1968-2015), showcasing an impressive display of high-quality local handcrafted art.
Its doors will be open seven days a week through Dec. 24.
Vineyard Owners Honored
The Miller family, owners of Santa Maria’s Bien Nacido Vineyards, Solomon Hills Vineyards and French Camp Vineyards, has been named one of the “Most Admired Grape Growers in North America” in the November/December 2015 issue of Vineyard and Winery Management Magazine.
They were recognized for dedication to quality and for their “white glove” approach to farming.
The Millers, a sixth-generation farming family, arrived in the Santa Maria Valley in 1969, and planted vineyards in the early 1970s on historic Rancho Tepusquet.
Today, Stephen Miller and his sons, Marshall and Nicholas, work directly with renowned winemakers to produce some of California’s most coveted fruit.
Bien Nacido Vineyards was also named one of the “Top Five California Vineyards” in 2015 by the Wall Street Journal, “Vineyard of the Year” in 2010 by the California State Fair, and named one of the “Top 25 Vineyards in the World” by Wine & Spirits Magazine.
— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.