Beloved Fremont restaurant set to close after 46 years, but there's still hope to keep it open

FREMONT, Calif. (KGO) -- A beloved restaurant in Fremont announced it is planning to close their doors for good after 46 years in business.

"The decision to close was not made lightly, and we appreciate the memories shared, and friendship formed within our walls," Dino's Family Restaurant shared in a post on Facebook on December 16.

Blink once while driving down Fremont Boulevard and you might just miss it, despite the fact that it's been here for more than 46 years.

"If you remember the long-going "Cheers" series, ok everybody knows everybody there, well this is like the cheers restaurant, it's hard," Manny Benavides, a Fremont resident said.

Where for most regulars, menus aren't needed.

"And they know!" Louis Sisniegas, a Fremont resident said. "They know your usual, they get shocked when I change it up a bit which doesn't happen very often."

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Barbacco, another one of downtown San Francisco's long-time restaurants, is closing its doors at the end of the week.

But earlier this month, the owners took to social media to let customers know they plan to close by the end of the year.

"He thought I'm going to keep trying and trying to keep it going but it was slowing down, it wasn't getting busy and then Billy Roy's came," Jackie Dhanda, Manager of Dino's Family Restaurant said.

Manager Jackie Dhanda, and sister of the owner, says the closure is ultimately due to impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The owners also opened Billy Roy's Burger Company last December and sales there are higher than Dino's.

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Heavy-hearted customers are sad to see A Taste of Denmark in Oakland close. Many waited for hours for one last visit to the beloved bakery.

But there's still hope for this family restaurant, with city assistance as a possible option.

"The city approached him to somehow put the two together and keep this going and they're willing to work with him to help keep this open," Dhanda said.

And while nothing is set in stone yet, she's hoping that last minute offer is enough to keep Dino's open for longer.

"I am praying that it means that we are given another chance to try to make something better for Fremont," she said.

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Regular customers who say they've been coming nearly every day since the closure was announced are keeping their fingers crossed too.

"Hopefully they don't close, we all want them to keep it open," Viviana Sisniegas, a Fremont resident said.

For now though, Dino's Family Restaurant says they will close their doors for good on New Year's Eve.

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