On Wednesday night, Justin’s Kitchen announced on social media that its last day of business would be scheduled for March 26.
This came as quite a shock to the community, which responded with an outpouring of condolences and supportive words.
“We would like to thank our community for the support they provided throughout the last seven and a half years,” read the post made by Justin’s Kitchen. “For us, you are like family. We made new friends, reconnected with old friends, we learned about you, we learned about us. Come see us if you like, if you can, one last time, or five, and help us run through our inventory of tasty comestibles.”
The restaurant will be open Wednesday through Saturday starting at 4 p.m. with its last seating taking place at 8 p.m. It will also be open for brunch on Sundays starting at 10 a.m. with last seating at 1 p.m.
“As the inventory gets lower, our hours may change,” added the restaurant.
Justin’s Kitchen was established in 2015 and has since been praised for its cocktail selection, seasonal ingredients, and classic menu items such as the “adult grilled cheese and tomato soup.” Owner Justin France has helped establish several community events over the years such as Italian Opera Night, open mic events, a cigar and bourbon night, cocktail classes, and more.
Justin’s Kitchen is currently located at 628 Plumas St. in Yuba City. The restaurant itself has been highly rated on various platforms such as Google reviews, Yelp, and TripAdvisor.
The exact reason for the restaurant’s closure has not been made public.
The Appeal reached out to the restaurant for comment but has not received a response as of press time Thursday.
Other local restaurants in the area who have been struggling to stay open previously cited fluctuating food prices, rising utility bills, and minimum wage increases as contributing factors to challenges in keeping their business going. Statistics have shown that most restaurants fail within the first year of business and that 70% would close within the first three to five years of opening. Those that remain successful past this time frame have an average lifespan of about 10 years.
According to findings from the 2023 State of the Restaurant Industry report by the National Restaurant Association, 92% of operators said the cost of food is a significant issue for their establishment.
