Iconic California waterfront restaurant closing after 20-year run, blaming landlord

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Another longtime Bay Area favorite is being sunk by soaring rent, and its landlord is none other than the city itself.

Zio Fraedo’s, an iconic waterfront staple in Vallejo that has dished out heaping plates of Italian comfort food and fresh seafood for two decades, is permanently closing its door this weekend after reaching a bitter lease standoff.

Owners Tony and Sherry LoForte said they were forced to pull the plug on the eatery after failing to reach an agreement with their landlord — the city of Vallejo — after a staggering rent increase they said would make staying afloat impossible.

“After 20 incredible years, it is with very heavy hearts that we share some difficult news,” Zio Fraedo’s wrote in an Instagram post.

“Unfortunately, after extensive discussions, we were unable to come to an agreement with our landlord.
The new monthly rent would far exceed our ability to sustain the restaurant.”

The announcement marks the end of an era for the waterfront watering hole. But even a prime location and decades of goodwill couldn’t save the family-run business from California’s brutal restaurant business.

“The economics have not been great with tariffs and rising food costs, but ultimately, there’s no way we can make it with the established new rent,” LoForte told SFGATE.

The restauranteur declined to disclose exactly how much the city wanted to charge. City spokesperson Robert Briseño defended the municipality’s handling of its publicly owned property, telling the outlet that officials must balance the interests of tenants with their responsibility to taxpayers.

He told SFGATE that the city was focused on making sure its properties benefit the community while meeting its financial obligations.

The original Zio Fraedo’s location in Pleasant Hill will remain open, offering a silver lining to longtime customers.

But the Vallejo outpost had reportedly been struggling long before the rent dispute delivered the final blow. The restaurant never fully recovered its once-bustling lunch crowd after the pandemic, prompting the owners to scrap midday service, trim operating days and increasingly rely on private events and banquets to keep the lights on.

While the closure has also left employees facing an uncertain future, about 20 workers have been offered positions at the Pleasant Hill restaurant, per SFGATE.

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