Only In Marin
Please insert your own Elon Musk joke here.
Restaurants for sale, gaming layoffs and parklet red tape on the menu By Bill Meagher
A critical part of any robust economy is the buying and selling of businesses. Established businesses have a variety of reasons to sell off, while new owners with fresh perspectives come in with plans of their own. Capital gets recycled, storefronts sometimes get new looks and business communities evolve. At this writing in the beginning of March, a couple well known West Marin spots are for sale. The William Tell House in Tomales can be acquired for $2.6 million
a town are considering what the future of outdoor dining looks like and what is on the regulatory menu for those in the dining business. Larkspur is currently looking at setting a new fee schedule as well as expanding the area where parklets are allowed from Magnolia Avenue into adjacent neighborhoods. The city suspended the fees last November and is now revisiting what the square-foot price will be for restaurants. Meanwhile, the Tiburon Planning Commission has recommended the Town
Council adopt a formal licensing process for outdoor dining. When COVID hit, an emergency policy was put in place to allow eateries to serve patrons outdoors. But now the commission has approved a process covering zoning, permits and land-use considerations. The six restaurants currently serving outdoors previously had to obtain a right-of-way agreement, as well as conditional use and encroachment permits. Should the council adopt the recommendation it will be back to the drawing board for the eateries. As the bureaucratic wheels grind, the aroma of red tape doesn’t smell that appetizing.
according to a listing on Loop Net. Purported to be the oldest bar in Marin, dating back to 1877, the business includes the real estate, the bar and the eatery. Still on the coast, we have the Old Western Saloon in Point Reyes Station. The two-story property has been on the market before and includes the first floor bar and a second floor with 10 commercial units. The asking price is $2.2 million. Sticking with the hospitality sector for a moment, the Marche restaurant in Ross is for sale. With a recent remodel the price is $325,000 which only covers the business. DJ’s Chinese Cuisine in Larkspur is looking for an exit with a price tag of $450,000. Last but not least is the Papermill Creek Saloon
The William Tell House in Tomales
Your Marin moment When it comes to the environment, Marin drivers
are willing to put their cash where their pie hole is, according to data from the DMV. Last year almost four out of every 10 new cars purchased in our county were EV powered. The data shows that 37.7% of the new rides hitting the streets were powered by either electric power, hybrid or fuel cell. That number places Marinites in third place in the state behind Santa Clara County (hello Silicon Valley) and our neighbors across the San Rafael Bridge, Alameda County. While those of us trying to get a Real ID may find the DMV Frustration Central, the agency turns out some nifty info for media nerds. It can give you everything including total sales in the state—about 447,000 cars—to which a Tesla model was most robust in sales, the Y model with a little over 134,000. Tesla was the dominant model in Marin sales with about 1,100 Model Y calling this county home. Please insert your own Elon Musk joke here. g
in Forest Knolls. A bit off the beaten path but a nice place to catch some live music, the Papermill is a dive in the best sense of the word. Legend has it that Janis Joplin was a past patron and Marin’s own Elvin Bishop has been known to pause for refreshment and offer a tune. The asking price is $1.9 million. Call of Duty company kills jobs Microsoft is slicing Novato’s Activision by 86 jobs following its $68.7 billion acquisition of the gaming company last October. The job cuts are being felt by employees of Toys for Bob studio, creator of the Call of Duty line of games. The layoffs follow a tumultuous battle Microsoft fought with the Federal Trade Commission in federal court over the 2023 acquisition in which the tech giant emerged victorious. At the time the deal closed, Xbox chief Phil Spencer declared that it was a good day to be a gamer. Now, it’s not such a great day to be a Toys for Bob staffer. Microsoft settled a lawsuit last year with the California Civil Rights Department over an alleged culture at Activision of sexual harassment characterized as “frat boy.” Microsoft paid out $54 million to settle the action. Red tape as an appetizer When COVID hit, local restaurants were devastated and dining al fresco became a much-sought-after alternative. Since the pandemic has been controlled, a city and
Bill Meagher is a contributing editor at NorthBay biz magazine and writes this column. He is also a senior reporter at The Deal, a Manhattan-based digital financial news outlet. He covers alternative investments, SPACs and the SEC.
April 2024
NorthBaybiz 49
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