This time, the circulating rumor about Maritime Seafood and Grill’s impending sale is true.
Friday night I spoke Unni Song, who owns Redding’s fine dining restaurant with Morgan Song, husband and award-winning chef.
Unni confirmed Maritime is for sale.
It pains me to write this since I’ve been an unabashed fan and blatantly biased cheerleader of Maritime since it opened its doors three years ago. Likewise, I’m a fan of Morgan and Unni, a lovely, talented, hard-working couple who gave their all to bring culinary greatness to Redding. They helped improve downtown Redding with a beautifully remodeled building. They helped elevate the fine-dining bar in Redding when they offered food that was as delicious as it was beautiful.
Unni said she and Morgan love Redding, and want to stay. She also said that although neither she nor Morgan want to sell, they’re pressured by a serious financial straits that leave them few options. Many factors worked against them, Unni said, including a large loan secured for the purchase and extensive remodel of their 1-year-old Sacramento restaurant, a down-turned economy, and the most damaging of all, less customers willing and able to spend money on fancy dinners.
Although Unni said that both the Songs’ Redding and Sacramento restaurants are for sale, she emphasized that the establishments’ doors will remain open until the right buyers are found.
And even then, the Songs’ will still own the building, so they will be very discerning about who they accept as Maritime’s buyer and the Songs’ renters.
She asked customers to please not give up on Maritime, especially since it’s entirely possible Maritime may never find a buyer.
“Who knows,” Unni said. “Maybe it could take six months or even 1 year to sell, or maybe never. By then, maybe things will turn around and we can stay.”
That’s my hope, too.
