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Tag: black bear diner

  • Voting underway online to select ‘Best of Citrus Heights’ businesses

    Best of Citrus Heights 2016-2017
    Best of Citrus Heights logo, 2016-17. Image credit: BestofCitrusHeights.com

    Got a favorite local business or restaurant you want to show support for?

    Through May 31, the Citrus Heights community can cast votes online for local businesses they feel are worthy to win the “Best of Citrus Heights” annual award from the local Chamber of Commerce.

    To vote in the competition, participants are invited to visit BestofCitrusHeights.com and select their choice for best business in up to 39 different categories this year. Choices range from just three businesses listed in smaller categories, like media publications and local veterinarians, to more than 10 business choices in categories like insurance services and accounting. Other categories include restaurants, automotive services, and car washes.

    A quick browse through businesses listed in each category shows not all local businesses are listed, as the annual competition is restricted to businesses who are members of the Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce.

    Categories like restaurants give voters a choice of just eight local restaurants: Asian N Cajun 2, Black Bear Diner, El Tapatio Restaurant, India Oven Restaurant & White Lotus Banquet Hall, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Red Lobster, Sammy’s Restaurant and Bar, and Texas Roadhouse Restaurant. Another eight restaurants are also located in a separate “Quick Service Restaurants” category.

    Last year, nearly 10,000 votes were cast to determine winners in each category. Winning businesses this year will be honored during an awards luncheon on July 11 at the Citrus Heights Community Center, and a “Best of the Best Award” will also be awarded to the business who gains the most overall votes.

    Those wishing to vote in the competition can do so online at www.BestofCitrusHeights.com.

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  • Opening date finally set for Black Bear Diner in Citrus Heights

    Black Bear Diner, Citrus Heights
    Black Bear Diner will open in Citrus Heights on Feb. 13 // CH Sentinel

    The long-awaited opening date of Black Bear Diner near the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Madison Avenue has finally been announced.

    Jerry Mercer, a vice president of Black Bear Diner, told The Sentinel in an email on Thursday that the new Citrus Heights restaurant will open for the first time on Feb. 13. He said the diner will be open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, with hours extended to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

    The restaurant franchise is known for its homestyle comfort food, generous portions, and breakfast options that are served all day.

    Construction on the diner’s brand new 5,000-square-foot building was completed last year, but interior aspects of the building were still in process of being turned into the new restaurant as of last week.

    Although previously targeting an opening date as early as July 2016, Mercer said permitting and issues with securing a construction team delayed the project significantly. Other restaurants and businesses at the new 5.7-acre Capital Nursery Plaza also experienced construction delays, with temporary signs posted at the plaza originally listing an opening date of “January 2016.”

    As of Feb. 2, Mercer said the restaurant is still looking to hire about 15 more employees. All 132 crew members hired so far “have been locals,” he said.

    As previously reported on The Sentinel, Mercer said the menu will feature Black Bear’s distinctive local touch — a reprint from an archived newspaper page about the area. He also promised the restaurant would feature a number of chainsaw-carved bear sculptures, which are a signature mark at all of the diner’s locations.

    The Redding-based franchise restaurant chain currently lists 88 locations nationwide on its website, with 21 more scheduled to open in California by the end of this year.

  • Citrus Heights News Briefs: time capsule, Black Bear Diner, fatality update

    Latest news briefs in Citrus Heights include an update on a fatal motorcycle collision, a new McDonald’s opening on Sunrise, another public hearing on local marijuana regulations, burial of a City time capsule, and a local power outage that affected 1,600 residents.

    New McDonald’s opens on Sunrise, Black Bear Diner delays continue
    A new McDonald’s restaurant opened for business for the first time on Tuesday, joining the Smart & Final Extra store in the new shopping center at the corner of Madison Avenue and Sunrise Boulevard. The franchise location was previously situated across the street, but closed down several months ago to take advantage of an opportunity to get a larger and more modern building, McDonald’s franchise spokesman Clay Merrill told The Sentinel. He said the location will also host a “community grand opening” event sometime later this month.

    Black Bear Diner, which will also be located in the new shopping center, has had its opening date delayed again, according to the company’s Operations Vice President Jerry Mercer. Although previously hoping for an opening date in July or August, and then September, Mercer told The Sentinel in an email Friday that the date had to be pushed back at least another two months, due to construction not being complete on the new building. The company executive said he’s now shooting for a grand opening in November. (See prior story)

    City council to hold public hearing on marijuana regs, bury time capsule
    An upcoming Sept. 8 city council meeting is scheduled to include a public hearing on proposed new regulations related to marijuana and a ceremonial burial of a time capsule, to be opened at the 50th anniversary of the City in the year 2047. According to a City staff report, the proposed marijuana regulations are designed to address potential impacts of Proposition 64, an upcoming state ballot initiative that would legalize and tax recreational marijuana in California. If Prop 64 is approved by voters, the regulations would enable the City to still prohibit commercial marijuana businesses and pot distribution, as well as add definitions to the City code related to commercial, medical, and non-medical uses. A volume cap on medical marijuana cultivation is also included in the wording. The council previously voted 4-0 to oppose Prop 64 last month.

    During the meeting, the City’s time capsule is scheduled to be “ceremonially buried” in the council chambers of the recently opened city hall. Items will include letters to the future from key city leaders, photographs and various memorabilia. The city council will meet at 7 p.m. in the new city hall, located at 6360 Fountain Square Dr. (See agenda packet for more)

    CHPD launches ‘Survive the Ride’ motorcycle safety enforcement following fatal crash
    Less than a week after a motorcyclist was killed in a collision on Van Maren Lane, Citrus Heights police announced a campaign to encourage and enforce motorcycle safety on city streets. In a news release, police said they will be conducting “specialized Motorcycle Safety Enforcement Operations throughout September in an effort to lower deaths and injuries.” Police also offered safety tips to both vehicle drivers and motorcyclists, including wearing proper safety gear and increasing follow distance to at least three seconds when behind a motorcycle.  (See full news release)

    Sgt. Chad Morris said a preliminary investigation determined the motorcycle was speeding and was at fault when colliding with a vehicle that was making a lawful turn onto Van Maren Lane on Aug. 27. The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office identified the motorcyclist as Shawn Ingle, of Orangevale. Ingle’s cousin, who requested his name not be published, told The Sentinel the 32-year-old motorcyclist left behind a 1-year-old son. He said Ingle’s girlfriend, who was a passenger on the motorcycle, is currently in the hospital with serious head and brain injuries. An obituary is scheduled to be published in The Sacramento Bee on Thursday.

    Outage knocks out power to 1,600 residents in Citrus Heights
    About 1,600 residents were left without power on Wednesday afternoon, following an equipment failure at a local SMUD substation. SMUD spokesman Jonathon Tudor said the outage occurred around 3 p.m. on Aug. 31 and lasted a little under an hour, while crews made repairs at the station.

    >>Sign up for The Sentinel’s free Weekend Edition to get our news briefs and other local stories sent to your inbox each Sunday.

  • Exec: Black Bear Diner to open this summer in Citrus Heights

    Exec: Black Bear Diner to open this summer in Citrus Heights

    Black Bear Diner
    File photo of Black Bear Diner’s restaurant in Elk Grove, which opened last November. The restaurant chain plans to open another franchise in Citrus Heights this summer. // Credit: Black Bear Diner

    Updated March 22, 1:08 p.m.–
    Comfort food lovers in search of large portions can expect a new Black Bear Diner to open in Citrus Heights as early as July, a company executive told residents at a neighborhood association meeting last week.

    The new 5,000-square-foot restaurant will be located in the shopping center being constructed at Madison Avenue and Sunrise Boulevard.

    Jerry Mercer, a vice president of Black Bear Diner, told residents that an exact opening date had not been set, due to restaurant construction still being underway, but he said the company is planning to open in July or August of this year.

    Mercer addressed an audience of about 30 residents gathered at the Birdcage Heights Neighborhood Association’s March meeting, emphasizing that the new diner would bring added community involvement to the area. The executive said he hires those who “live in the community they work,” and said four managers from Citrus Heights have already been hired for the new restaurant, with additional hiring planned for about 120 employees.

    [Read more about the city’s 11 neighborhood associations: Neighborhood groups REACH out to connect Citrus Heights residents]

    Mercer said the menu will feature Black Bear’s distinctive local touch — a reprint from an archived newspaper page about the area. He also promised the restaurant would feature a good number of chainsaw-carved bear sculptures, which are a signature mark at any of the diner’s locations.

    The Redding-based franchise restaurant chain currently has about 80 locations nationwide, with six more scheduled to open in California this year.

    >Get local news updates: Sign up for The Sentinel’s free weekly email edition

    Black Bear Diner will join several other stores and restaurants planned for the new 5.7-acre Capital Nursery Plaza in Citrus Heights. As previously reported on The Sentinel, a new Smart & Final Extra will be the first store to open at the plaza, with an opening date scheduled for May.

    [See what else is opening at the new shopping center: New Citrus Heights shopping plaza to open in May]

  • New Citrus Heights shopping plaza to now open in May

    Capital Nursery Plaza in Citrus Heights, The Edwards Company
    An updated listing brochure on The Edwards Company website shows the layout of the new Capital Nursery Plaza in Citrus Heights. Credit: TheEdwardsCo.com

    The new 5.7-acre shopping center under construction at Madison Avenue and Sunrise Boulevard is now set to open in May 2016 rather than January, according to the broker group hired to lease the property.

    According to broker Andrea Stirling with The Edwards Company, the plaza’s new Smart & Final Extra store is scheduled for a May opening date, with four restaurants and others soon to follow. New restaurants will include Moe’s Southwest Grill, Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, Black Bear Diner, and McDonald’s, while three other available spaces are yet to be leased.

    Questions about the reason for the delayed opening date were referred to Chris Bucklin of the Petaluma-based PMB Development company, who was not able to be reached by phone or email Friday afternoon.

    Stirling said there’s been some interest in the remaining spots on the new Capital Nursery Plaza, but she said the center is “maxed out on food” due to parking restrictions, so future tenants will have to be “non-food.”

    The layout of the plaza and its available spots are pictured in a newly published informational packet on TheEdwardsCo.com, designed to attract new tenants. The 9-page packet shows a 1,300-square-foot location available in a shared spot with Jimmy John’s, as well as a 3,100-square-foot pad along Sunrise Boulevard, and a 3,470-square-foot pad along Madison Avenue.

    The new Quick Stop gas station being constructed at the corner is on a different parcel and is unaffiliated with the shopping plaza, according to Stirling.

    [Document: Capital Nursery Plaza listing packet.pdf]

    Although construction of the new Smart & Final store is visibly taking shape, the new McDonald’s has yet to announce a date to break ground, according to a statement by company spokesperson Natalie Aronson on Friday.
    As previously reported on The Sentinel, the Fair Oaks McDonald’s on the southeast corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Madison Avenue -- currently just outside Citrus Heights -- will relocate across the street to the new Citrus Heights shopping center. Aronson said that decision was made due to the current facility outgrowing its capacity over the past 20 years, and the new location featuring a larger and more modern design. [Read more: McDonald’s to relocate in new Citrus Heights shopping center] According to development plans approved by City planning commissioners last January, the new shopping center required demolition of about 18,000 square feet of existing improvements on the old Capital Nursery plant center. When complete, the site will be home to nearly 50,000 square feet of commercial buildings — along with adding an equal amount of landscaping, and 276 parking spots. [follow text="Get more news:"] Plans show the six new buildings are designed to have “complementary architectural features,” and range in size between 2,600 and 27,000 square feet, with heights between 21 and 41 feet. [Background: Citrus Heights to gain 200 jobs with proposed shopping center] A project description listed in planning commission documents says the plaza will bring over 200 permanent new jobs in Citrus Heights, with positions ranging from entry-level to franchise ownership. Want to see more business-related stories like this on The Sentinel? Click here to take our one-minute survey and let us know.

  • New McDonald’s to relocate in Citrus Heights shopping center

    New McDonald’s to relocate in Citrus Heights shopping center

    McDonald's
    McDonald’s, stock photo. Courtesy, McDonald’s.

    The Fair Oaks McDonald’s at the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Madison Avenue is currently located just a few feet outside Citrus Heights city limits, but if things go as planned, the fast-food restaurant will soon be relocating across the street to the new Citrus Heights shopping center under development.

    McDonald’s spokesperson Natalie Aronson said the decision was made due to the current facility outgrowing its capacity over the past 20 years, and the new location promises to feature a larger, modern design and site plan.” She said the new store will be almost 900 square feet larger than the existing facility.

    McDonald’s will join Smart & Final and several other restaurants to make up the new shopping plaza under construction at the old Capital Nursery site on Sunrise Boulevard. So far, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches and Black Bear Diner have been confirmed for the new plaza, according to The Edwards Company — the commercial real estate group seeking to fill the two remaining retail spots on the plaza.

    [Link: see the Capital Nursery Plaza conceptual site plan and photos]

    Although The Edwards Group says the new plaza will be open in January 2016, Aronson said McDonald’s expects to begin construction in “the first quarter” of 2016. She said the existing location will remain open until the new store is ready to serve customers in summer 2016.