Mallards Restaurant, a popular restaurant in Stockton, has closed its doors. The Sang family, owners of Mallards, were apparently operating the eatery at a loss. When the debt became too much, Mallards was closed, and employees and customers with deposits are hoping they will receive payment.

Mallards has been open in Stockton since 1991, and had a reputation for fine dining in town. Reviews often described the restaurant in glowing terms. It was voted best business lunch in the Stockton Record from 2000-2002. However, quality seemingly slipped a notch in the recent past, and the Record reported that patronship was dropping.

Unfortunately, it is hard to find success in the restaurant business. Even in a well established restaurant like Mallards, once quality falls, customers will stop coming. The Sangs did not own the building, and it is being reported that the owner is seeking a national chain restaurant to fill the vacancy.

Stocktonites are already openly speculating about the possibilities. The location, at Brookside and March Lane, seemingly is a strong selling point for any franchise. Hopefully a new quality restaurant will fill the void left by the closing of Mallards.