Downtown Eatery & Libations’ co-owner William York emailed anewscafe.com this message Monday regarding a change in business hours. He asked that we share the information with you:
Beginning Monday July 27, The Downtown Eatery will not be serving lunch. Our new hours will be Monday thru Saturday from 4 p.m. until late.
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Here at anewscafe.com we’ve followed news of The Downtown Eatery and Libations from its beginning.
From the start I’ve admired how the young and energetic owners and staff remodeled the old Cheesecakes Unlimited space with a nod to the building’s original Prohibition-era background, and York and his team modified their menu and hours to best suit public demand. For example, it wasn’t long after they opened that they made significant reductions in their lunch menu prices. They offered “express” lunch selections for $6.49 that allowed customers to choose two of anything on the express list that would get them out the door and able to return to work on time.
My favorite was the mojo pork taco and the sweet potato pomme frites. And I always ordered their French press coffee, a real bargain at less than $3 per pot.
As an aside, many of those who attended the first Cooking at the Cascade watched Downtown Eatery chef Taylor Smith’s cooking demo, enjoyed the samples of his “Cheese Stuffed Cheese” – and were just as impressed as I was to learn that the obviously talented and self-possessed Smith was just 26 years old, yet experienced far beyond his youth.
He is typical of the caliber of professionals who work at Downtown Eatery.
You know how sometimes you can visit a business and predict it will falter? I never expected anything but success for The Downtown Eatery.
I hope next Monday’s schedule shift will help The Downtown Eatery & Libations will regain their footing in this slippery economy.
I wish them the best. In the meantime, I asked York some questions Monday, which he answered.
Below is our conversation.
Q: What led you to the decision to stop serving lunch?
Our dinners and nights have always been very popular, so we had to identify other areas in which to trim our costs. To remain lean and in competition, we were forced to make tough decisions by cutting some staff and trimming areas that were not as efficient. Our last lunch is Friday the 24th.
Q: Is this a permanent decision?
I hope not! I hope that in the future we will be able to re-open for lunch. Heck, we would love to be open for breakfast as well, but time will tell.
Q: In hindsight, what do you know now but didn’t know when you first opened for lunch?
I didn’t know that the public’s perception of downtown parking was so miserable. That hurts our lunch crowd volume.
Q: Any other changes at The Downtown Eatery?
Yes, we will be open every single night except Sunday (whether bands are playing or not) from 4 p.m. until late). Late can mean 11:30 p.m. and late can mean 2 a.m.
Q: Anything else you’d like to say?
I would like to thank the residents of Redding for being so very supportive and appreciative of The Downtown Eatery. Everybody seems to love the place, whether they are young or old, vegan or meat-eater, businesswoman or punk rocker. Redding has impressed me by breaking down social barriers and focusing on the important stuff – enjoying incredible fresh food while appreciating many types of live music and washing it down with a hard-to-find craft brew –all in the perfect atmosphere!
The Downtown Eatery and Libations is located at 1344 Market St., Redding. William York can be reached via phone at 243-4731 or email at billy@thedowntowneatery.com.
