Old Sacramento's Rio City Cafe to officially close on Saturday, mayor says
SACRAMENTO — Mayor Darrell Steinberg said Tuesday that Rio City Café in Old Sacramento will close on Saturday.
Steinberg made the announcement in a statement released by his office. He said, to remain open, the owners of the restaurant needed immediate access to the deck which was closed by the city earlier this year after structural engineers deemed it unsafe.
The deck is owned by the city and repairs would cost around $5 million. However, the city can't fix it because of a massive budget deficit. The deck closure cut the restaurant's seating in half and it has severely impacted sales.
Last week, the owners of Rio City said they would be closing it down in August after operating for three decades, and the mayor said he was willing to help keep it open.
"My goal was to help this well-loved institution remain in business while providing time for both the restaurant and the city to evaluate the best long-term uses for the waterfront site," Steinberg said in his Tuesday statement. "The city has previously offered a significant rent discount to the Millers, and I suggested that approach again over the past few days. But Mark and Stephanie [Miller] said even allowing them to occupy the building at a significantly reduced rent would not be enough to get them to stay open."
In his statement, Mayor Steinberg touched on why the deck, which was built 30 years ago, hasn't been repaired over the years.
He said he had only become aware this month of the Millers' plan to close the restaurant but, before that closure announcement, was notified of the deck's condition. He said the Millers and the city had been discussing options for months including the city building dining area in front of the restaurant and adjusting the owners' rent. Steinberg said the Millers had, at their own request, been on a month-to-month lease with the city since 2019.
Steinberg added that the city's economic development department recommended this year not spending more than $1 million of public money on temporary deck repairs. He further explained that the economic development department will recommend "soliciting proposals from potential tenants for the Rio City site and other key assets in Old Sacramento" in an effort to modernize the waterfront.
"As hard as it may sound in the short run, I agree with my city colleagues that serving the public means soliciting interest from other high-end restaurants and potential users for the prime riverfront space Rio City currently occupies," the mayor said. "Our staff is confident this space will be in high demand."
Mayor Steinberg said he was told by structural engineers that it would take at least $1.5 million and six months of work to safely and temporarily open a portion of the deck, but those temporary repairs would only last three to five years.
Steinberg added that the full $5 million deck repair would have been included in a $40 million-plus waterfront restoration and modernization plan he said he would bring to the city council before his term is up later this year.
"The passage of Measure N gives us the chance to make our waterfront more inviting for locals and tourists alike without affecting our general fund or vital city services," Steinberg said.
"The waterfront modernization plan will include: Renovating or replacing the existing public market buildings to open them up to the river; building a new playground with design input from the Native American tribes who originally inhabited the riverfront; creating new public and performance spaces; and constructing a viewing platform so visitors can better enjoy the special views of the Sacramento River. The future of the building that houses Rio City Café will be part of this plan.
"In the shorter term, the funding plan will include rebuilding the worn wooden sidewalks of Old Sacramento and other upgrades. The city staff is exploring activations to fill the Rio City building in the meantime."
