Less than a month after it formed, a partnership between
acclaimed Hollister winery owner Frank Leal and Gilroy’s Old City
Hall restaurant has dissolved.
Less than a month after it formed, a partnership between acclaimed Hollister winery owner Frank Leal and Gilroy’s Old City Hall restaurant has dissolved.
Neither Leal nor Glen Gurries, one of the restaurant’s managing partners, is offering a specific explanation why the deal got killed in early October or who initiated it.
“It was a lot of things. I’m not at liberty to say exactly what at this point,” Gurries said. “Lots of partnerships don’t work out. That’s very common. Some marriages appear on the surface to be a match made in heaven. He’s fantastic with wines, and we have what we think is one of the top restaurants and food around. But some marriages just don’t work out.”
Leal said he will not comment until meeting further with his attorney in upcoming weeks. Gurries said he has not hired an attorney and hopes the matter does not reach litigation.
In mid-September, Leal and Gurries, along with the restaurant’s other managing partner Daniel Barduzzi, made plans to team up and refresh Old City Hall, including a menu revamp and bringing in more live music.
Leal’s winery in San Benito County, Leal Vineyards, recently landed a spot on Food and Wine Magazine’s Top 20 Best New Wineries in the world.
When the deal was made, Leal said one of his main goals was to feature more locally produced wines – from Santa Clara and San Benito counties – at retail price to customers of Old City Hall. Both Leal and Gurries seemed enthusiastic and eager to use the partnership to boost Old City Hall and help revitalize downtown Gilroy. Gurries also had said he planned to brand the restaurant with Leal Vineyards’ name and offer the winery’s full range of wines.
“We hope to keep carrying his wines,” Gurries said. “The relationship didn’t get that bad, to the point where we don’t want to carry his wines.”
From a professional standpoint, Gurries said, he didn’t feel comfortable divulging any details. But he assures things are humming along as normal at Old City Hall.
“We’ve got a lot going on, especially with the upcoming holidays. We’re very busy,” Gurries said. “Things are back to how they were.”
The restaurant still plans to revamp its menu in a few weeks, Gurries said. The cuisine will continue to be California French and will have more of an emphasis on fine dining, with an expanded menu in the courtyard and live music Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Gurries said he hopes for the restaurant to open for lunch sometime in the near future.
