The Inland Empire’s first Lazy Dog Restaurant will close in Promenade Temecula on Sept. 10, according to the Costa Mesa-based chain.
The Costa Mesa-based chain of casual eateries opted not to renew its lease in the indoor/outdoor shopping center, it said in a statement that also thanked Temecula for “an incredible 15-year journey.”
It didn’t give any reason for the closure but called the decision difficult and said its “growth across the country is still on track.”
The news came to light in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) letter sent to California’s Employment Development Department on July 21.
The closure affects 89 employees. The statement said Lazy Dog is “fully committed to working with our teammates to ensure a smooth next couple of months.”
The Lazy Dog Café, as it was then called, opened the 7,500-square foot restaurant in Temecula Promenade in the spring of 2010, shortly after the shopping center underwent a major expansion. The address is 40754 Winchester Road, across from P.F. Chang’s.
Southwest Riverside County residents will be in for a long drive after the closure if they want to continue to enjoy such specialties as bison meatloaf and bacon candy.
There are no other Lazy Dog locations nearby and only one more in Riverside County, at 380 McKinley St., Corona.
Lazy Dog closed another location in Peachtree Corners, a suburb of Atlanta, on July 25, citing parking difficulties, according to WSB-TV.
Lazy Dog was founded in Westminster in 2003 by Chris Simms.
The chain has 52 restaurants in eight states, all company owned. The chain has a Rocky Mountains theme with some canine touches. Its logo is a big paw print, and well-behaved dogs are welcome on its patios.
Lazy Dog serves from-scratch comfort foods, craft beers and craft cocktails.
Simms’ innovations include a ghost kitchen, Jolene’s Wings & Beer, take-home frozen dinners and a $5 monthly subscription called Campfire Club that qualifies members for more than $15 in benefits.
Last month the chain launched a new program called Lazy Dog Catering, designed to provide bundles of some of its sandwiches, salads and entrees to groups of 10 people at prices starting at less than $14 per person, according to a news release.
Lazy Dog refreshes its menu twice a year, in spring and fall. The spring menu has a couple of months to go and includes such items as a Cowboy Ribeye Burger, a Spinach Enchilada Casserole and Loco Moco Fried Rice. The fall menu will arrive in October, but it can be previewed at Lazy Dog’s Brea restaurant, 240 S. State College Blvd., where the chain’s test kitchen is.
Information: lazydogrestaurants.com
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