VACAVILLE, Calif. — Update: 09/04/19 11:30 a.m.
A last minute save for Rock & Brews in Vacaville has finally paid off with 100 jobs saved and new ownership confirmed.
The restaurant, a chain created by KISS stars Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, was thought to be on its farewell tour toward the end of August. However, Brent Lott, the restaurant's general manager, said those plans were postponed after the owner of a future Cal Expo location made an offer on the restaurant.
Lott previously told ABC10 that the pending closure had nothing to do with the business itself.
Joe Johal, the new owner, is keeping the restaurant open in Vacaville and is also planning to start construction on another Rock & Brews at Cal Expo by the end of September.
Katy Connelly, Marketing and Communications manager for Rock & Brews, told ABC10 in August that this Cal Expo Rock & Brews is set to open in 2020 and another Rock & Brews restaurant would open in the Sacramento area mid-2020.
Original Story:
The Rock & Brews restaurant in Vacaville was scheduled to shut down on Sunday night but now the restaurant is getting a second chance.
On Sunday, the restaurant's owners announced they've "delayed the closure" while the business is being sold.
"It was supposed to be our final shift right now which was very sad and we were prepared to do so, unfortunately," Brent Lott, General Manager of the Rock & Brews location in Vacaville said.
"It looked like it was going to close. We were all devastated. There was a lot of tears," said Claire Westhaver, a regular at the restaurant.
Employees were given about a week's notice that their restaurant, the brainchild of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley from the rock band KISS needed to close this location by Sunday.
"My last shift was Thursday and we were all crying when I clocked out and taking pictures because we thought it was my last day. It was definitely an emotional experience for sure and it's not nice to ever think that you're going to be out of a job," server Stefanie Chainurux said.
Many of the Vacaville Rock & Brews employees, like Chainurux, had been there since the restaurant opened in January 2018.
"It was very like almost heartbreaking for everyone. I think we were more so worried about breaking up. We just [wished] there was a place that would have taken us all if it did come to that because we wanted to all stay together," she said.
And on Friday, the process of breaking things down already started.
"We were actually taking pictures off the wall. We were breaking down tables. We were running out of food, running out of our beer," Lott said.
That's when Lott says he got a last-minute phone call that saved everything.
"A group that is building the Rock & Brews up at Cal Expo stepped in and we're currently postponing the sale of Rock & Brews Vacaville and moving forward with that potential sale to that group," he said.
That call saved almost 100 jobs.
"We're all crying and tearing up and just hugs were going around everywhere. It's crazy to have such a close family in a workplace," Chainurux said.
And regulars that spend at least five days a week at this restaurant were there to share the happy tears.
"I cried some sad tears and now I'm crying some happy tears, but good crying," Westhaver said. "These people put their heart and soul into this place and I'm just happy to see that they're getting a second chance because this is a great place."
Management says the original closure had nothing to do with the business itself. They say they're being cautious, using the phrase "postponing the closure," until this potential deal with the new owners goes through.
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