Hold The Sprinkles! – Trailblazing Cupcake Company Closes Aprubtly
Sprinkles Cupcakes, a bakery chain known for its gourmet cupcakes and signature “cupcake ATMs,” is shutting down all of its locations permanently, according to its founder, leaving fans and employees alike mourning the abrupt nature of the closure. Founder Candace Nelson, who turned to baking and put her own stamp on the Sprinkles brand in…
Lafayette’s Taco Adobe Rings The Closing Bell Jan. 1
Eyesore or landmark, suburban fast-food haven or punchline for snobbish gourmands, it appears the Mission-style Taco Bell at 3501 Mt. Diablo Blvd in Lafayette is calling it quits on Jan. 1, 2026. Fans will be happy to know the fabled chain’s local footprint will not be disappearing forever, with plans for a resurrected Taco dispensary…
Gutter Ball – Walnut Creek Pinstripes Location Closes After Mere Months
Fans of the freshly opened Walnut Creek Pinstripes location at 1115 Broadway Plaza – and there appear to be more than a few – are digesting news that the spanking new bowling and “eater-tainment” venue has suddenly ceased operation, a lonely, hastily printed sign hung on its front doors. Majority owner Oaktree Capital Management cited…
Walnut Creek’s Del Monte Foods Files For Bankruptcy After 139 Years In Business
Del Monte Foods, a Walnut Creek-based company best known for its sprawling line of canned fruits and vegetables, has filed for bankruptcy protection as U.S. consumers increasingly bypass the firm’s products for healthier or cheaper options. Once headquartered in San Francisco, the company moved its offices and kitchens to Walnut Creek in recent years, gradually…
Second Time No Charm For El Charro 1947 – Walnut Creek Location Announces Closure
We had to remind ourselves when El Charro broke the hearts of hundreds of Mexican food fans and closed its Lafayette location due to financial problems caused by the pandemic. It was late 2020 and, despite the understandable wail of long-time customers denied access to their favorite blue cheese butter, endless chips and Birthday Burritos,…
It’s “Adios” For Lafayette’s El Charro Restaurant; Community Tears Provide Salt For Margaritas
Back in The Day, back when we gathered, Lafayette’s El Charro Restaurant was the place to go for a Game Night enchilada plate or – for the adult and untethered – a Margarita guaranteed to instill enough liquid courage to initiate a conversation with the girl or guy at the end of the bar. News…
Danville Businesses Hurt During Pandemic Get Financial Support From Town
From the Town of Danville: Businesses in Danville hurt by the coronavirus pandemic will be getting some additional relief from the Town Council in the form of a new reimbursable grant program. At the November 4, 2020 Danville Town Council meeting, the Council voted to appropriate $250,000 for the development of a grant program to…
More Businesses See “Red” As COVID Conditions Ease In Contra Costa
Thanks to recent progress being made in the fight against COVID-19 in Contra Costa, indoor restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, massage parlors and places of worship may now open with restrictions in the county. The changes come after the county qualified to move into the less restrictive red tier (“substantial”) of the state’s four-tiered, color-coded reopening system today.…
Lafayette Suspends Business Assistance Program Due To Lack Of Federal Funding
From the City of Lafayette: In March 2020, a national emergency and a county shelter-in-place order were declared due to the global spread of COVID-19. Several Lafayette businesses were immediately impacted by the shelter-in-place order and had to cease operations. Other businesses had to severely limit their operations. Local non-profits were also restricted in their…
Orinda Businesses Slammed By Opportunistic Burglars
As we’ve reported, opportunistic burglary crews following chaos caused by some local mass demonstrations have taken advantage of dwindling police resources and weary business owners to strike – hitting at least two businesses in Orinda hard on Monday night. Computer Software and Hardware, a small, family-run firm on Orinda Way, had its front door and…