Latest news with #Rick&Ann's
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Beloved local family diner closing after nearly 40 years
I love the Hulu show "The Bear." And considering the show has won multiple Emmys and Golden Globes and been renewed for a fourth season, I know I'm not alone. There is nothing like a good restaurant drama, even though they all make working in a kitchen look like utter hell. "Burnt" - the film inspired by the life of Anthony Bourdain and his troubled past - the satirical "The Menu," or the British series "Boiling Point" ... all of these shows depict restaurant work as stressful, chaotic, and rife with mean people. The restaurant business is so notoriously difficult that it's a wonder new restaurants open at all, especially considering the thin profit margins they generate. In today's climate, with all of the elements necessary to run a restaurant - food costs, rent, transportation, labor - getting more expensive by the day, restaurant closings seem to be happening with the same frequency as restaurant openings. Image source: Siamionau Pavel for Shutterstock While we often think of fine dining spots in big cities or celebrity chef ventures as the most at-risk, independent neighborhood restaurants, even the successful ones, face their own pressures. This makes the closure of Rick & Ann's Restaurant, a beloved family spot in Berkeley, all the more bittersweet. The East Bay institution, in the shadow of the historic Claremont Hotel, will serve its last meal on August 3, 2025, ending a 36-year run, as reported in the San Francisco Chronicle. Known for its comforting brunch fare, friendly staff, and loyal customer base, Rick & Ann's has been a cornerstone of the Berkeley dining scene since 1989. Founded by Ann Lauer and her late partner Rick DeBeaugrine, the restaurant quickly became a go-to destination for breakfast and brunch, drawing customers from across the Bay Area and beyond. Related: Iconic Las Vegas Strip eatery permanently closes after long run Menu staples like red flannel hash, potato-cheese pancakes, and gluten-free coffee cakes were perennial favorites. Over the years, the restaurant became known not just for its food, but also for its hospitality. Diners were greeted by name, and many of the staff had been with the restaurant for decades. In August 1997, a local food critic wrote that the restaurant "maintains the feeling of someone's home." The warm, casual vibe - paired with its proximity to UC Berkeley and the Claremont - helped Rick & Ann's become a fixture for college students, families, out-of-towners, and the occasional celebrity guest. Alicia Keys reportedly dined there. So did Guy Fieri. In an interview with Berkeleyside, Lauer explained that she's ready to retire and that the restaurant's lease is up. Rather than try to renew or relocate, she's chosen to end on a high note. Rick & Ann's weathered the pandemic, staffing shortages, rising food costs, and the grief of losing co-founder DeBeaugrine in 2020. Through it all, the restaurant remained consistent and deeply loved by the community. While Rick & Ann's is winding down, Lauer is not stepping away from food entirely. Her catering company, Ann's Catering, will continue and is building a new commercial kitchen to handle growing demand. More Food: Applebee's brings back all-you-can-eat deal to take down Chili'sPopular Mexican chain reveals surprising growth plansStarbucks CEO shares plan for a whole new menu For longtime customers, the announcement has been met with sadness and nostalgia. Generations of Berkeley families have celebrated birthdays, graduations, holidays, and weekend rituals at Rick & Ann's. "This place is a part of our family," one customer wrote on social media. "We've been coming since the '90s. It won't be the same without it." Related: Iconic Las Vegas Strip eatery permanently closes after long run Rick & Ann's isn't the only longtime restaurant to close in recent months. In San Francisco, the iconic Fog City closed in May 2025 after 40 years. Las Vegas has seen two celebrity-chef eateries close recently. And on a national scale, chains like Red Lobster and TGI Fridays have shuttered dozens of locations amid bankruptcies and declining foot traffic. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, just 34.6% of restaurants survive more than 10 years, as reported on So for an independent business to last nearly four decades - and go out on its own terms - is a rare achievement. Fans still have a few months to stop by and say goodbye: The restaurant's final day of service is set for August 3. Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rick & Ann's Restaurant, beloved East Bay institution, announces it's closing after 36 years
The Brief Beloved Berkeley restaurant, Rick & Ann's, announces it's closing The restaurant has served the community for 36 years. With a warm, family-friendly atmosphere, the restaurant has offered comfort food with fresh local ingredients. BERKELEY, Calif. - It has been a Bay Area institution for more than three decades — the go-to place for a birthday gathering, graduation celebrations, breakfast with a bestie, a shared meal with family members from out of town, and more. Rick & Ann's Restaurant in Berkeley is closing. Owner Ann Lauer said that she plans to hang up her apron on August 3 when the restaurant's lease expires. "It's a very bitter-sweet thing," Lauer told KTVU, as she reflected on her time embedded in the community and being folded into the memories of many families' important life events and milestones. The restaurant, known for it's popular breakfast and lunch dishes, first announced its plans to close last month, and for many of her longtime customers, it will be the end of a cherished era steeped in memories. "I had a lot of people expressing they're upset that we're closing. There's all these kids that, you know, I've held as babies that now come in with their kids. Families that I've seen with their whole families and that go through the cycle of life," Lauer shared, adding with a laugh, "We've had people even come in here before they give birth. We've had people have their water break here." The backstory The Texas transplant and Oakland resident moved to California when she was 21 years old. It was 1989 when Lauer and her now ex-husband, Rick, opened the restaurant on a small Berkeley street in the shadows of the Claremont Hotel. "It's been 36 years," she said. "We opened a month after the big earthquake," she recalled. The Lauers envisioned a place, a warm space, accessible and inviting to families, an environment that served comfort food and created a sense of community. "That was the whole idea. I wanted it to be a family-friendly neighborhood place using fresh and local ingredients and kind of nostalgic of the things we grew up with, that you didn't really find at the time," Lauer explained. She said the options were limited for folks looking to find a casual dining spot for good food and a place families could go to. "At the time in Berkeley, it was California cuisine. It was either these really fancy restaurants that were just killing it, and they were so busy, and they were really popular. And there was ethnic food, which was great," she recalled, noting, "There wasn't really a lot in between. And so that was kind of it. We decided to do something more like American fare, with fresh ingredients and kind of remade to sort of fit California. And that was how the concept came up," she shared. She gave a lot of credit to Berkeley restaurateurs John and Lois Solomon for helping them realize their vision. Lauer said that before she and her ex-husband opened Rick & Ann's, she had worked at the Solomons' restaurants for years. The Solomons would later become silent partners, providing support both financially and through their knowledge and expertise. "I owe a lot to John and Louis," Lauer shared. "They were great and really gave us our start." Over the years, the Rick & Ann brand has undergone shifts and changes. Her ex-husband, with whom she continues to have a good relationship, retired before the pandemic. "We've gone through so many transitions," she shared. From the original Rick & Ann's to another place called Rick and Ann's Pantry to Rick and Ann's Restaurant and Catering, to Ann's Catering, the business has evolved and shifted. Lauer said she actually had plans to sell the restaurant right before the pandemic, but once COVID-19 hit, it was clear that wasn't going to be possible. So, during a time when many restaurants were unable to keep their business running and were forced to close their doors, Lauer not only pulled through but tapped into her creative talents to re-imagine how she would serve her patrons. "During the pandemic I got to be super creative, you know, back in the kitchen, and that was great," she said, adding that the world had changed and so there was no other option but to adjust. SEE ALSO: This Bay Area city just got its first Chick-fil-A "For me, I like change… people didn't really have a choice but to change, so you know any ideas I had people were pretty open to it," Lauer reflected, recalling how they started offering ready-made meals to-go. "We created the market," she said, "And I started making little boxes like cookies and icings and things for kids to take home and decorate and do different holidays and stuff." Dreaming up creative ways to continue to stay in business rejuvenated her and gave her more energy when Covid restrictions began to ease. "It was just kind of one of those things that ended up being, for me, kind of revitalized a lot. I was feeling pretty run down from having so many employees and different stuff that goes on in day-to-day business. "So it was the time to work with just a few people and sort of, you know, to be creative again," Lauer said. She explained that after the pandemic, she held on to her plans to sell the business, and if that didn't work out, she knew she would be making the difficult decision to close. Lauer said she's scaled back her hours a bit in the past year and a half, to prepare for what's next. "I'm still working, but not near the hours that were my normal hours, and so it's giving me a chance to kind of sort of ease into retirement," she said. "Now sometimes I feel like I don't have enough time to work because there's so many other things that I want to do." And as for the restaurant, her hope is that the Rick & Ann tradition can continue on in some form. "I do love the restaurant, and it has so many memories… I'm holding out hope that someone's going to come in that really wants to take over and keep it," she said, adding, "I would want them to change the name." And for those whose palette has become accustomed to Rick and Ann's dishes, there might be a cookbook to help fulfill those cravings once the restaurant closes. "I have always planned on doing a cookbook," Lauer shared. While there is uncertainty about what will happen to the restaurant, it's not all goodbyes. There is good news for Lauer's long-time catering customers. Ann's Catering will continue at a new Oakland location, off 65th Street, near Ashby Avenue, where the business will be able to work out of a commercial kitchen. "We've outgrown this one. And I have four employees who've been with me a total of 106 years, so they'll be taking that over," Lauer said. "And I'm going to be helping and going to be kind of on a consulting basis for two years for the catering company." Dig deeper Her next chapter also includes continuing the work that she has long been passionate about and intertwined in the business model— supporting children's advocacy groups, "That was kind of the big focus for us through my time here, has always been, like donation-wise or event-wise, doing the same kind of help with schools, and children, and events, things that benefit them," she said. Beyond that, she's excited about diving into the things that bring her joy. "I love gardening, I love the outdoors, love the ocean. There's a million things," Lauer shared. But as she looks back at what she's built, she feels confident that Rick & Ann's has remained committed to the original vision of what it set out to offer its community. "Through the years you see all the different food fads that come and go," Lauer shared. "There was many times people go, 'Oh, you guys should get a pizza oven because you could make so much money. Pizza's really popular.' Whatever the fad is at the time, you know, maybe we should do that. It's like you no, we're going to stay with what we are and work within those parameters, which still gives you a lot of space. But it's just when you try and do everything, you lose stuff." And it's that consistency that Rick and Ann's customers came to depend on over the decades and brought customers to this familiar spot time and time again. On any given weekend morning, longtime customers expect that they will need to place their name on a long waiting list to get a table and that it was worth the wait. Also, consistent was how committed Lauer remained in showing up day in and day out, filling in the gaps when needed. And now, she feels it's time to move on. "I'm on call when the alarm goes off. And all the other things that go with having a restaurant," she said. "There comes a time when you have to say you have limits, and so I just thought I want to enjoy this last time before my lease is up." Meanwhile, Lauer hopes she's able to say goodbye to all those who became part of her life through this place that was more than just a restaurant, but a meeting place, a shared space and a community gathering spot. "It has been so wonderful to be a part of this community and to experience all of your lives throughout the years," she wrote in a letter to her customers posted on the restaurant's website. "I will miss Rick & Ann's Restaurant and all of you."
San Francisco Chronicle
6 days ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Family favorite restaurant in Berkeley to close after 36 years
Rick & Ann's Restaurant in Berkeley, which has been serving 'solid American classics' for 36 years, announced Friday that it would be permanently closing this summer. 'It is time for me to hang up my apron! ,' Ann Lauer, owner and co-founder of the restaurant, wrote on its website. The restaurant, on Domingo Avenue, will close on Aug. 3, Lauer wrote. Rick & Ann's was opened in November 1989, aimed at 'serving the dishes we relished in our childhood,' Lauer wrote, which they felt had been missing in Berkeley. Lauer said the freshness and variety of ingredients, as well as the 'cooking talents that the Bay Area has to offer' helped the restaurant design menus for breakfast, brunch and lunch with 'simple, comforting foods with universal appeal.' The restaurant offers sit-down dining everyday except Wednesdays, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., as well as operating Ann's Market, which sells changing products daily. In August 1997, Chronicle critic Robin Davis said Rick & Ann's Restaurant 'maintains the feeling of someone's home.' 'While many restaurants are trying fusion cuisine, Rick & Ann's in Berkeley continues to crank out solid American classics,' Davis wrote. Davis commended the restaurant's 'Mom's' macaroni and cheese — 'as good as you'll get anywhere' — and the pie offerings for dessert. 'It has been so wonderful to be a part of this community and to experience all of your lives throughout the years. From the joyous celebrations such as birthdays, holidays, rites of passage, and family get together, to the more difficult life cycle events,' Lauer wrote. 'I've enjoyed seeing customers that I held as children, now with their families and some as grandparents.' Lauer's other business, Ann's Catering, will continue operations, moving to a different location 'without any break in service and I will still be involved there for a couple of years as some of my employees take it over,' Lauer wrote. Lauer said she planned to remain involved in the Berkeley community after the restaurant's closure and to travel.
