Although the food might taste the same, five downtown Hollister
restaurants in recent months have either changed ownership or are
looking to do so. It begs the question: Is this trend due to a sour
local economy, or do these businesses in particular merely need a
fresh start.
Although the food might taste the same, five downtown Hollister restaurants in recent months have either changed ownership or are looking to do so. It begs the question: Is this trend due to a sour local economy, or do these businesses in particular merely need a fresh start.
Hollister Downtown Association Executive Director Brenda Weatherly says it’s hard to tell – as personal situations, such as family demands, have influenced the relatively large turnover of restaurants downtown, while a poor local economy might be a cause, too.
There are three downtown restaurants that recently changed ownership – Paine’s Restaurant, Maverick BBQ and Main Street Bistro. Two others, The Vault and Las Palmas, are up for sale.
Weatherly also said despite the importance of restaurants in drawing patrons’ traffic to a downtown – from which other businesses can gain – she isn’t more concerned about the restaurant ownership issue than she would be if any other type of business had faced such change.
“It just takes the right people (to run it),” Weatherly said.
Weatherly did, however, acknowledge that economic times have made it harder for people to afford sit-down dining.
“It’s probably one place people do start cutting when times are tough,” said Weatherly, who added that eating out is still a relatively inexpensive treat if people can afford it periodically.
The Vault owner Ignacio Velazquez did note how many people tend to be in Gilroy on weekends to shop and eat there.
But like Weatherly, Velazquez attributed much of the changing ownership to restaurant owners’ personal needs. Both he and former Main Street Bistro owner Megan Guerra are faced with demands of raising young children, while longtime Las Palmas owner Luis Sanchez had been ill for quite some time before deciding to sell the business.
“It’s hard, when you have kids, to own a restaurant,” said Velazquez, father of a 10-month-old and 2-year-old. “You have to be willing to be there all the time.”
