Downtown Sacramento’s Mother Restaurant Closes

Last week we learned Hot Italian was closing. Now Mother. What’s happening?

By Marilyn Nelson on January 2, 2020

(Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

UPDATE:

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Dear Sacramento, It is with great admiration, love, and excitement for the future that we announce our retirement. Mother started almost accidentally, at the happy intersection of a delayed restaurant opening (for Empress Tavern) and a fortunate vacancy at 1023 K street. Over the past seven years we’ve created some killer vegetarian food, met lots of amazing people and had a pretty great time doing it. But we are feeling our age. Many of our past employees have already gone on to new adventures and many of our current staff and loved ones are moving on to new projects. So we couldn't be happier for the opportunity to hand over the keys to 1023 K Street to some good friends of ours (Announcement coming soon!) We love our little spot downtown, and we know they'll take great care of it. Craving a po boy or a farro salad? Head on down to our sister restaurant, Empress Tavern – right underneath the Crest Theatre at 1013 K Street. They’ll be opening for lunch starting January 8th with some of the Mother favorites on the menu. They will even take our gift cards. There will be some friendly Mother faces down there as well, and you can get a delicious cocktail if you’re in that kind of mood. Thanks for everything, Sacramento. And don’t forget to eat your vegetables. Love, Mother

A post shared by Mother (@mothersacramento) on Jan 2, 2020 at 11:07am PST

Less that eight months later this cryptic post appeared on their Instagram page: “Goodbye Sacramento. Thank you. 2014-2019.”  That original post has since been deleted.

According the Sacramento Business Journal, the rumor appears to have been confirmed in a letter to customers. “Many of our staff have moved on to great adventures over the last several years and many of our current staff and loved ones are moving on to new projects,” it says.  Another business is filling Mother’s previous spot at 1023 K Street, “some good friends of ours” will operate that business, according to the letter. 

The Empress Tavern at 1013 K St. will begin featuring some items from Mother’s menu during their lunch service on Jan. 8. Entrees from Mother will also be offered at dinner, said Robert Emerick, managing partner for both restaurants. Mother stopped dinner service about a month ago.”

All of Mother’s employees have been offered positions at Empress, according to Emerick.

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