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Tag: Martin Garcia

  • Popular Citrus Heights eatery opens second location on Madison Ave.

    Popular Citrus Heights eatery opens second location on Madison Ave.

    Crepes & Burgers’ second location is now open on Madison Avenue, in Fair Oaks. // Thomas Sullivan

    By Thomas J. Sullivan–
    Martin Garcia, owner of Crepes & Burgers, a popular café and creperie in Citrus Heights, has at last opened the doors of his second restaurant at 6720 Madison Ave., in Fair Oaks.

    Garcia began work last November on the new Fair Oaks restaurant, but construction halted until early spring when building permitting issues with Sacramento County were at last settled. Construction quickly resumed.

    “We’d been through enough challenges that, when our licensing inspections from Sacramento County cleared, I decided to open right away,” Garcia told The Sentinel.

    The new restaurant opened on Monday, June 24, and by the end of his first business day, Garcia said he welcomed 60 customers to his new location.

    The Fair Oaks restaurant, not far from the busy intersection of Dewey Drive and Madison Avenue, comfortably seats about 50 people. Garcia gutted the site of a former Jasper’s hamburger restaurant, and while having a much smaller interior footprint than his Citrus Heights restaurant, his new location has been thoroughly refreshed inside.

    Customers are greeted by the same large overhead chalk menu board and cheerful décor they will recognize from the restaurant’s location at 8000 Auburn Blvd., which opened in 2017.

    While outdoor seating is now offered under bright patio umbrellas, Garcia said he soon plans to add a covered awning for customers dining outdoors.

    “We’re offering the very same menu as our Citrus Heights restaurant, featuring our burgers, pastas, breakfast and dessert crepes, sandwiches, soups, and salads,” said Garcia.

    Breakfast is served all day, and customers can choose from more than a dozen breakfast crepes, which are served with country potatoes or a mixed green salad. Four different varieties of classic eggs benedict are offered, along with built-to-order omelets.

    “Our dessert crepes are popular throughout the day,” Garcia said. Each are served with whipped cream and powdered sugar, and a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream can be added. “It’s a great summer treat.”

    Garcia said he is still hiring servers and experience cooks to staff the new location as business picks up.

    Crepes & Burgers on the web at www.crepesandburgers.com at 6720 Madison Avenue in Fair Oaks is open Sunday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

  • Crepes & Burgers set to open second restaurant on Madison Ave.

    Crepes & Burgers set to open second restaurant on Madison Ave.

    Crepes & Burgers Citrus Heights
    Crepes & Burgers, pictured here on Auburn Boulevard, is planning to open a second location on Madison Avenue. // CH Sentinel

    By Thomas J. Sullivan–
    Crepes & Burgers, a popular Citrus Heights eatery that opened in 2017 on Auburn Boulevard, is in the final stages of opening a second location on Madison Avenue.

    Owner Martin Garcia told The Sentinel he is planning to open the new location on May 27, taking up a building previously occupied by Jasper’s Giant Hamburgers. The restaurant is located just outside Citrus Heights at 6720 Madison Ave., near the corner of Dewey Drive and Madison Avenue.

    Crepes & Burgers opened at 8000 Auburn Blvd. two years ago and has earned an average 4-out-of-5-stars rating by more than 450 reviewers on Yelp. Garcia had been eyeing the opportunity to open more locations from day one and said it wasn’t long before he found the right location for his second restaurant.

    A temporary vinyl exterior sign for Crepes & Burgers had hung from patio fencing at the former Jasper’s Hamburgers since early January. Construction at the site soon started, then abruptly halted.

    Interior construction resumed in early April after the Sacramento County Building Department signed off on several outstanding permit issues, Garcia said. “It’s been a very frustrating process, taking us much longer to open than I thought.”

    He expects to be ready for a final inspection by fire officials and the health department soon.

    The new location will feature exterior patio seating and offer a cafe-style atmosphere with crepes, burgers, beer and more.

    New exterior neon signage is now in place. Interior fixtures, interior seating, and a large, hand-painted menu familiar to customers who frequent Crepes & Burger’s Auburn Boulevard location are now installed.

    Garcia said the menu and store hours will be the same as the Auburn Boulevard location including a wide variety of specialty crepes, lamb and turkey burgers, seven different salads, beer and wine, a full range of specialty coffee drinks, and a children’s menu. 

  • Opening date finally set for new Crepes & Burgers restaurant

    Crepes & burgers
    Crepes & Burgers is scheduled to open on Jan. 30 on Auburn Boulevard. // CH Sentinel

    The long-awaited Crepes & Burgers restaurant on Auburn Boulevard will finally be opening its doors for business at the end of this month.

    “We are super excited because we are finally ready to open this Jan. 30, 2017,” a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page announced Monday. The new eatery will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with menu options including crepes, burgers, salads, sandwiches and a kids menu — along with beer, wine, and coffee selections.

    The 3,700-square-feet restaurant features an open cafe-style atmosphere, with seating for about 80 inside and additional seats located on an outdoor patio.

    In an interview on Wednesday, chef and co-owner Martin Garcia said the building had passed a final inspection from fire officials last week and a health department inspection on Monday. Garcia said his initial goal was to open mid-2016, but extensive remodeling work on the building uncovered more problems than anticipated.

    Martin Garcia and his business partner, Jose Garcia, met 12 years ago when Jose was a manager at Sacramento’s popular Crepeville restaurant and hired Martin as a cook. Several years later, the two Garcias (no relation) went into business together, taking over an East Sacramento crepe restaurant.

    After a suspicious arson fire burned through their eatery in 2014, the pair began searching for a new location and settled on the location across from the Grand Oaks Shopping Center on Auburn Boulevard. The site had previously been operating as Charlie’s Cafe, but the cafe moved to another location across the street several years ago.

    Martin said about a dozen staff have been hired so far, with hiring still ongoing to boost that number up to about 20. The team also recently hired Christine Stahl as manager of the restaurant, a local resident who lives just several blocks away.

    Crepes & Burgers is located at 8000 Auburn Blvd. and will be open 7-days-a-week, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

  • Citrus Heights News Briefs: SJHS theft, Crepes & Burgers, stolen truck recovered

    Crepes & Burgers Citrus Heights
    Crepes & Burgers, a new restaurant on Auburn Bouleveard, has been delayed again in opening. // CH Sentinel

    Latest local news briefs include an update on the new Crepes & Burgers restaurant on Auburn Boulevard, a $30,000 Christmas Eve theft at San Juan High School, technology aiding in the recovery of a local stolen vehicle, and latest news on Beer Dogs’ plans for expansion.

    Up to $30k in equipment stolen from San Juan High School on Christmas Eve
    San Juan High School received an unexpected visit on Christmas Eve, when thousands of dollars of equipment were stolen from the school’s auto shop. Principal Vanessa Adolphson was quoted on the San Juan High School Alumni Association’s Facebook Page revealing what she described as the “heartbreaking” tragedy, and Police Lt. Chad Courtney said the incident is under investigation.

    Lt. Courtney said police have reviewed surveillance video and believe three or four suspects broke into a locked storage area and stole items valued up to $30,000, including a welder, a go-cart, and other equipment. He described the footage as “kind of grainy film” without identifiable license plates, but said suspect vehicles include a darker 1980’s Honda station wagon or a black or dark purple 1990’s Ford Explorer.

    Crepes & Burgers opening delayed again; owners now target mid-January
    A new crepes restaurant on Auburn Boulevard has once-again been delayed in opening, with owners now targeting a grand opening in January instead of their initial goal to open in July. Chef and co-owner Martin Garcia said remodeling work on the building uncovered more problems than anticipated. He said the most recent two-week delay was caused by a hard-to-find water leak, which was eventually located several feet underneath a section of newly poured concrete. A new website was recently launched for the restaurant, offering a preview of what menu options will be offered. (See website)

    LoJack tech helps recover stolen truck from Citrus Heights
    A stolen 2002 Ford truck from Citrus Heights was recently recovered by police, thanks to the vehicle being equipped with LoJack technology, the Sacramento Bee reported. Sacramento Police found the truck, along with the suspected thief sleeping in the vehicle, near Norwood Avenue on Dec. 22. Lonnie Smith, 39, was arrested on charges of car theft, possession of stolen property and burglary tools, as well as possession of narcotics, police told The Bee.

    According to LoJack’s website, an estimated 10,000 vehicles equipped with the company’s technology are recovered each year in the US. LoJack units are small unmarked radio frequency transceivers that are hidden on customer vehicles and can be activated if a theft is recorded into a nationwide stolen vehicle database, following a police report. Police helicopters are often equipped with technology to receive a LoJack signal, helping law enforcement locate the stolen vehicle. (See SacBee story).

    Beer Dogs says sales exceeding goals; planning four more in region
    The new Beer Dogs restaurant in Citrus Heights, which opened in September at Sylvan Corners, has met or exceeded all of its sales targets for hot dogs on the menu and plans to launch four new locations in 2017, according to restaurant spokesman and senior partner Zachary Swithenbank. Since opening four months ago, Beer Dogs has earned an average rating of 4-and-a-half-stars out of 5-stars by a total of 64 reviewers on Yelp. Swithenbank said the next location to open will most likely be in Folsom, along with three others in the greater-Sacramento region later in the year.

  • New ‘Crepes & Burgers’ cafe to open in Citrus Heights

    Crepes & Burgers, Citrus Heights
    A new crepes and burger cafe is scheduled to open later this year on Auburn Boulevard in Citrus Heights. // CH Sentinel

    A pair of chefs are turning the old Charlie’s Cafe building on Auburn Boulevard into what they describe will be a cafe-style atmosphere with crepes, burgers, beer and more.

    See updated story: Opening date finally set for new Crepes & Burgers restaurant

    Jose Garcia and his business partner, Martin Garcia, met 12 years ago when Jose was a manager at Sacramento’s popular Crepeville restaurant and hired Martin as a cook. Several years later, the two Garcias (no relation) went into business together, taking over an East Sacramento crepe restaurant and naming it “Crepes & Burgers.”

    After a suspicious arson fire burned through their eatery in 2014, the pair say they began searching for a new location. They settled on their future location in Citrus Heights after Charlie’s Cafe moved across the street several years ago, leaving the spot on Auburn Boulevard vacant.

    “We expect it’s going to be good for us,” said 30-year-old Martin. He contrasted his future restaurant to the former American-style food once offered at Charlie’s and said the new Crepes & Burgers cafe will offer “a completely different experience.”

    Located across from the temporary city hall near Grand Oaks Boulevard, Jose said the ample-sized parking lot and future renovations planned for Auburn Boulevard were key features that made the location attractive. Martin hopes the crepes twist will create a distinctive draw unique to the area. Their menu will also feature a wide variety of other foods such as lamb and turkey burgers, seven different salads, beer and wine, a full range of specialty coffee drinks, and a kids menu.

    The 3700-square-foot restaurant is currently undergoing extensive interior demolition work. The Garcias, who are doing most of the work themselves, were seen laboring on the inside earlier this week. Nearly everything is stripped out and all-new kitchen equipment is waiting to be installed.

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    The partners hope to open by late July or early August; they plan to being the hiring process within a month. Martin said the two plan to hire a staff of about 20, with Jose and himself serving as the primary chefs in the kitchen.

    Crepes & Burgers, once open, will tentatively operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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