From a national chain restaurant disappearing to the closure of a winery, the Inland Empire’s dining scene saw changes and challenges in 2024.
In the first half of the year, there was a lot of nervousness about the dining industry with multiple restaurant closures from Red Lobster, Rubio’s Coastal Grill and TGI Friday’s. Most of the closures bypassed Riverside and San Bernardino counties, but the second half of the year was another story.
In October, another round of closures reduced the number of TGI Friday’s locations to five in the state of California with none in the IE. That same month, Avensole Winery filed for bankruptcy amid a wave of Temecula Valley wineries going on the market.
Throughout the two counties, several restaurants with long histories closed, a few citing the lasting effects of the novel coronavirus pandemic that shut down dining rooms in 2020 and 2021.
Here are some of the notable restaurant closures of 2024.
Riverside County
Corona
Chuck Wagon Bar & Grill: This casual restaurant at 1353 W. Sixth St. closed July 12 after its property was sold but is hoping to find a new home.
Chicago Pasta House: Stuffed pizza was this eatery’s specialty, open since the late 1980s at 24667 Sunnymead Blvd.
Norco
Cowgirl Cafe: This breakfast hangout at 2859 Hamner Ave. served Horsetown USA for 17 years. Its owners closed the restaurant on July 24, citing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the reasons.
Riverside
Brandon’s Diner Jr.: This local chain offered breakfast and lunch in city hall’s lobby, 3900 Main St., for nearly six years but during the pandemic it lost business that never came back.
Craft Brewing Company, Riverside: This brewery, founded in Lake Elsinore in 2010, closed in May.
Placita Riverside: This restaurant at 1805 University Ave. strived to showcase regional Mexican cuisine. Diners were fond of the chile verde. It closed on May 19, according to a Facebook post.
Quesadilla Daves & Cantina: Mike and Jennifer Towles, the folks behind Corky’s Kitchen & Bakery and Septembers Taproom & Eatery, tried this new concept, which lasted a year at 3678 Central Ave.
Stone Church Brewing & Bistro: This Corona Brewery closed its downtown Riverside restaurant, at 3737 Main St., No. 160, on June 2. Its Corona location at 2785 Cabot Drive, Suite 160, is still open.
Temecula
Avensole Winery: The 23-acre property at 34567 Rancho California Road abruptly shut down on Oct. 7 and went into bankruptcy. Formerly Van Roekel Winery, it became Avensole when it was purchased and upgraded by the Lytton family in 2014. Before the bankruptcy Avensole was among a group of wineries up for sale as their owners reached retirement age and the investment climate changed.
San Bernardino County
Colton
Le Rendez-Vous Cafe: This French/Creole cafe closed in late spring but moved south and reopened a few weeks later at 123 Main St., Lake Elsinore.
Highland
Rock & Brews: The rock-and-roll-themed restaurant inside Yaamava’ Resort & Casino, 777 San Manuel Blvd., closed on Oct. 13 after nearly seven years. Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, Kiss band members and co-creators of the restaurant chain, were on hand for the opening on Nov. 2, 2017. The 4,800-square-foot space will be repurposed for a different dining and entertainment experience, according to the resort.
Rancho Cucamonga
Gandolfo’s New York Delicatessen: The restaurant, which opened in 2007 at 9090 Milliken Ave., was an Atlanta-based chain’s last restaurant to date in California.
Kings Brewing Co.: The craft brewer closed its taproom at 8560 Vineyard Ave. on Oct. 13 but continues to sell its brews out of the back of its building at 9020 Archibald Ave., according to a mid-December Instagram post.
The Lost Cajun: This gumbo shop’s only California location closed after a couple of years at 8158 Day Creek Blvd.
Redlands
Dhat Island: This family-owned Caribbean restaurant was in Redlands for 15 years at various locations. Its most recent home, at 308 W State St., closed in April. A Riverside restaurant, the Beignet Spot at 4019 Market St., remains open.
Huicho’s Tacos: An outpost of the quick service Mexican restaurant ended a short run in Orange Street Plaza. Its flagship remains open at 416 W. Colton Ave.
Isabella’s Ristorante Italiano: The restaurant at 330 N. 6th St. said arrivederci on Nov. 24 after 30 years in Redlands. It was the second Italian restaurant opened by Ruthie and Martin Felix, after the original in San Bernardino. The family opened another in Yucaipa last summer to carry on for the Redlands restaurant. Isabella’s Trattoria is at 12045 Fifth St., Suite F.
Our Brew: This craft brewery closed at 2351 W Lugonia Ave. in September with the intention of reopening at San Bernardino International Airport.
Romano’s Italian Restaurant & Chicago Pizzeria: This eatery occupied an 1888 building at 330 Orange St. known as the Hamilton Block for 15 years. Owner Gary Romano closed it in June, a couple of months after its anniversary. There is one local Romano’s left, at 285 Alessandro Blvd., Riverside.
Romano’s Macaroni Grill: Redlands’ other Romano’s, an unrelated chain restaurant, closed in Citrus Plaza without explanation in September. The building, at 27490 W Lugonia Ave., remains empty.
Tom’s No. 1 World Famous Chiliburgers: This drive-thru at 1280 Alabama St. became part of the local R Burgers chain after it closed. Tom’s longtime owner, Perry Karpouzis, got caught up in a yearslong effort to build a second drive-thru in Mentone that was hampered by utility fees and regulations imposed by the city of Redlands, which provides services to Mentone. The project remains uncompleted.
Rialto
Forum Blues Waffle Cafe: This brunch spot was housed in Rialto’s Metrolink Station, 261 S. Palm Ave. It closed in June after a nearly six-year run.
San Bernardino
I Love Chicken & Waffles: The name was a big part of the menu at this eatery, which opened in 2021 at 1170 E Highland Ave.
Jamba: Recently readers of John Plessel’s Dine 909 column and county inspectors noticed the juice bar in the Shops at University Park had been stripped and signage taken down. The address was 1725 Northpark Blvd., Suite A2.
