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Tag: Mercer Tyson

  • Q&A: What’s happening with plans for that pizza drive-thru in Citrus Heights?

    Plans for a new California Quick Slice pizza restaurant were approved in 2018 for an old gas station location at 7766 Auburn Blvd. // CH Sentinel

    Sentinel staff report–
    Plans for a pizza drive-thru restaurant on Auburn Boulevard were approved by the city’s Planning Commission in 2018, but more than three years later the building still stands empty and a for sale sign has since appeared outside.

    The site at 7766 Auburn Blvd., near Antelope Road and across from Rusch Park, was once a gas station and later served briefly as a donation site for a company called ReUseIt. In 2017, the 16,000-square-foot corner property was purchased by entrepreneur Mercer Tyson, who received approval from the city the following year to convert the building into a California Quick Slice pizza drive-thru.

    Tyson previously told The Sentinel the restaurant would feature several varieties of pizzas that would be pre-made daily and served up hot by the slice at the drive-thru, or picked up for take-and-bake at home.

    In 2019, Tyson told The Sentinel that financing difficulties had delayed his plans, and in July of last year he said he had acquired a building permit and hoped to have financing approved within two month, with construction starting later in 2020.

    His plans were tragically cut short however, as his son-in-law confirmed with The Sentinel that Tyson passed away in January of this year.

    An obituary published in the East Bay Times said Tyson died on Jan. 11, 2021, at the age of 71. He was a long time resident of Orinda, California, prior to moving to Lincoln. He left behind three children and four grandchildren.

    Tyson’s son-in-law said plans for the Auburn Boulevard site are unknown, as the future use will be determined by a new owner. He said there has been “a lot of interest” in the property due to it having been approved for a drive-thru, but also said there’s also been interest from those who want to turn it back into a gas station.

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  • Q&A: Will plans for that pizza drive-thru in Citrus Heights ever become a reality?

    California Quick Slice
    Plans approved by the Planning Commission show a new California Quick Slice pizza at 7766 Auburn Blvd.

    Sentinel staff report–
    It’s been almost a year since the Citrus Heights Planning Commission approved an entrepreneur’s creative plan to re-purpose an old gas station on Auburn Boulevard into a drive-thru pizza restaurant. But so far, the only changes observable to the thousands of cars passing by the site each day are an increase in homeless activity and a broken window being boarded up.

    So, what’s going on — has the project been abandoned?

    From last year: Citrus Heights planning commission approves new drive-thru pizza

    Mercer Tyson, who purchased the 16,000-square-foot lot at 7766 Auburn Blvd. two years ago and later won approval for his pizza drive-thru from the Planning Commission, told The Sentinel last week that financing difficulties have delayed the project. He said in addition to the building, which he already owns, “the cost of improvements, equipment, adequate working capital, etc. is upwards of $800,000.”

    If finding an investor or a lender with decent loan terms doesn’t pan out, Tyson said he’s willing to sell other property he owns to make the project happen.

    “I am prepared to sell other property to get the capital necessary,” Tyson told The Sentinel in an email. “That could be lengthy time process, but it will happen.”

    Asked whether the restaurant could still potentially open this year, Tyson said a 2019 opening is “fairly likely, but probably towards the end.”

    Food Review: Italian Brothers Pizza in Citrus Heights isn’t one to miss

    As previously reported on The Sentinel, Tyson said his new California Quick Slice restaurant will feature several varieties of pizzas that will be pre-made daily and served up hot by the slice at the drive-thru, or picked up for take-and-bake at home. The restaurant will also offer coffee, shakes, a dessert pizza, and a bacon, egg and cheese pizza for breakfast, fitting with the proposed hours of 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

    “The main focus isn’t to compete with pizza restaurants, it’s to compete with hamburgers and tacos,” Tyson told planning commissioners during a public hearing in 2018. “So when you drive down the street, instead of getting a burger, you get a pizza and a coke.”

    Plans call for largely keeping the existing gas station layout, although drive-thru lanes would be added in the rear and outdoor seating would be set up under the canopy once used for gas pumps. Plans also call for a 200-square-foot mural on the outside, which will have a food theme.

    Under the approved plan, drive-thru customers will enter off of Auburn Boulevard, loop around behind the building for ordering and pickup, and then exit onto Watson Way.

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  • Q&A: What’s going on with plans for that drive-thru pizza place?

    California Quick Slice, Citrus Heights
    An old gas station lot in Citrus Heights was approved to be re-made into a drive-thru pizza restaurant earlier this year. // CH Sentinel

    Sentinel staff report–
    An entrepreneur’s plans to turn an old gas station near the corner of Antelope Road and Auburn Boulevard into a drive-thru pizza restaurant were approved by the Citrus Heights Planning Commission back in February, but since then the site has sat unchanged — apart from vandals smashing a hole through the front glass earlier this year.

    So what’s going on?

    Mercer Tyson, owner of the future California Quick Slice restaurant, told The Sentinel in an email update last month that the project is still in the works, but got stalled for several months due to personal and family circumstances that took precedence over his business plans. As of Friday, he said designs for the interior layout of the restaurant were being finalized, with building plans yet to be submitted to the city.

    Although originally hoping to open by the end of this summer, Tyson is now shooting for an opening date in early 2019, with construction beginning at the site later this year.

    The new California Quick Slice restaurant at 7766 Auburn Blvd. will feature several varieties of pizzas that will be pre-made daily and served up hot by the slice at the drive-thru, or picked up for take-and-bake at home. The restaurant will also offer coffee, shakes, a dessert pizza, and a bacon, egg and cheese pizza for breakfast, fitting with the initial proposed hours of 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. — which Tyson has said could expand to 24 hours, depending on how late-night business performs.

    “The main focus isn’t to compete with pizza restaurants, it’s to compete with hamburgers and tacos,” Tyson previously told planning commissioners during a public hearing. “So when you drive down the street, instead of getting a burger, you get a pizza and a coke.”

    See what the new restaurant will look like: Click here

    As previously reported by The Sentinel, plans approved by commissioners call for largely keeping the existing gas station layout, although drive-thru lanes would be added in the rear and outdoor seating would be set up under the canopy once used for gas pumps. Several commissioners referred to the plan as “exciting” and unique, while one commissioner voted against the project and expressed concern about excessive blacktop and the outdoor canopy attracting homeless during inclement weather.

    Citrus Heights Associate Planner Alison Bermudez said the drive-thru would “really bring some vibrancy to the area,” noting the plan keeps the “look and feel” of a gas station, but features new lighting, paint, and landscaping. She said the owner will also install glass where the auto-service doors were previously, and the inside will feature artwork with a gas station theme.

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