Thursday, September 04, 2008
Downtown Sac--Colder than 55 degrees
In an open letter to the community, owners of the restaurant "55 Degrees", Ali Mackani and Luc Dendievel announced the closing of the restaurant. The place was located on the Capital Mall in downtown Sacramento, and it would seem to be a casualty of not only the overall economy (price of fuel and gas), but more locally the failure of the twin towers project. Sure looks as though the restaurant would have had a better chance with a large residential/hotel tower open on the same street. The letter is pasted below:
Friends,
It’s with a heavy heart that we are writing this message to inform you that we have decided to close the doors at 55 Degrees. After 3 years of dedication and hopes for better tomorrow, we have come to recognize that we cannot continue to support the financial commitment of today’s business environment to operate the restaurant and its expenses.
Our game plan 3 years ago was to be part of the major re-revitalization plans on Capitol Mall and its promise of residential development. The promise unfortunately did not happen and, with the downturn in economy, we have to say enough is enough.
During these past 3 years, we have met and made plenty of friends and supporters of our concept and we’d like to thank each and every one of you. It’s hard to imagine not walking in to 55 Degrees everyday and seeing a familiar face. We truly appreciate you and your support.
We would also like to thank our vendors and purveyors who have supported us and helped deliver to you some the best quality products available in this region. We thank you.
And last, but not least, we’d like to thank our staff, most of whom have been with us since the beginning of this venture and helped us build what has been known as one of the best restaurants in town. We salute you and wish you and your families the best.
This Friday lunch (September 5th, 2008) on the 3rd year anniversary of our opening, it will be our last day in business and we will close the chapter for now.
From all of us here at 55 Degrees, we wish you all the best and hope to see you all soon.
Ali Mackani
Luc Dendievel
Friends,
It’s with a heavy heart that we are writing this message to inform you that we have decided to close the doors at 55 Degrees. After 3 years of dedication and hopes for better tomorrow, we have come to recognize that we cannot continue to support the financial commitment of today’s business environment to operate the restaurant and its expenses.
Our game plan 3 years ago was to be part of the major re-revitalization plans on Capitol Mall and its promise of residential development. The promise unfortunately did not happen and, with the downturn in economy, we have to say enough is enough.
During these past 3 years, we have met and made plenty of friends and supporters of our concept and we’d like to thank each and every one of you. It’s hard to imagine not walking in to 55 Degrees everyday and seeing a familiar face. We truly appreciate you and your support.
We would also like to thank our vendors and purveyors who have supported us and helped deliver to you some the best quality products available in this region. We thank you.
And last, but not least, we’d like to thank our staff, most of whom have been with us since the beginning of this venture and helped us build what has been known as one of the best restaurants in town. We salute you and wish you and your families the best.
This Friday lunch (September 5th, 2008) on the 3rd year anniversary of our opening, it will be our last day in business and we will close the chapter for now.
From all of us here at 55 Degrees, we wish you all the best and hope to see you all soon.
Ali Mackani
Luc Dendievel
