Seafood lovers in the East Bay have just six weeks left to get to the Walnut Creek Yacht Club before the owners shut the doors for good.
Ellen McCarty and Kevin Weinberg announced Monday that their restaurant, much beloved in the community, will have its last day of service on May 7, their 29th anniversary in business.
“After long and thoughtful consideration, we have made the decision to close Walnut Creek Yacht Club, and set sail on the next challenge of our lives — retirement,” McCarty and Weinberg explained in the “Scuttlebutt,” their email newsletter to customers. “This was by no means an easy decision. It’s an emotional one, as we look back on all the memories, relationships, and milestones we’ve shared with our staff and our guests.”
Weinberg said he and McCarty spoke with others who were interested in keeping the restaurant going, but they ultimately decided they’d rather close with the restaurant’s legacy intact than take a risk under new management.
“It’s a really difficult to do, to take over an old brand and you’ve got comparison, and even if you don’t change a single thing, if we’re not involved, people say, ‘it’s not the same,’ or, ‘they changed things, they don’t do the fish and chips and they changed the chowder recipe,’ ” Weinberg said in an interview with the Bay Area News Group. “Then the staff might not like it and the customers — it’s a very difficult thing to do. We decided the best thing to do is preserve the legacy. And let people remember us and their experiences as they were.”
They first opened the restaurant in 1997 with the idea of bringing the atmosphere of a day on the bay to Walnut Creek. Their nautical-themed indoor space created a laid-back vibe that made it easy to sit at the bar and make new friends, or sink into a booth with family.
“We have seen families lose loved ones and come here to celebrate their memories with us, because this was their favorite place,” the owners said.
The Yacht Club underwent an extensive remodeling project in 2008, expanding indoor space by 25% and adding an oyster bar. Diablo Magazine voted it Best Seafood Restaurant in the East Bay 12 times, while the restaurant was also Michelin Guide recommended from 2010-2014. The Bay Area News Group recently named its clam chowder one of the best in the Bay Area.
Weinberg said the recipe has gone unchanged for 28 years and he makes as much as 20 gallons of chowder a week, selling it to customers in the restaurant and others who are taking home quarts at a time, often for holiday dinners.
The owners are encouraging customers to come in one last time and say goodbye.
“We invite you to stop by in the coming weeks to celebrate, reminisce, and toast to this incredible journey,” they wrote. “We will keep you posted on the new restaurant coming to this space, so keep your eye out for a new Scuttlebutt. Though our doors will close, Walnut Creek Yacht Club will live on in the memories we’ve created together.”
The restaurant will continue to honor gift cards and loyalty points, encouraging customers to use their gift cards on wine or store merchandise, or offering to buy them back.
“We didn’t get forced out, the rent wasn’t too high and we didn’t go broke,” Weinberg said. “We just wanted people to have one more visit. It’s going to be hard.”
Details: Open Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, at 1555 Bonanza St. in Walnut Creek; https://wcyc.net/.