Why is SLO County Italian restaurant closing? ‘We got tired of pushing a rock uphill’
Downtown Templeton is losing a locally owned Italian staple.
Griff’s Bistro and Pizzeria is closing its doors this week after 15 years of serving the community, the owner Jeff Davis told The Tribune on Wednesday.
Davis did not disclose a specific closing date for the business, saying only that it would be “sometime this week.”
The family food joint on South Main Street serves all the favorite Italian comfort meals, from cheesy pizzas and pastas to hot grilled paninis.
“l’ll miss the people,” Davis said of the closure. “I can make a pizza anytime, but I can’t hangout with the people anytime. That’s the worst part.”
Davis said he moved to Templeton from the Bay Area 20 years ago.
After having worked in the restaurant business his whole life, he said he “saw the potential” in Griff’s when he was manager and decided to buy the establishment. He bought the restaurant from its previous owners 13 years ago.
For a long time, the restaurant was beloved by its regulars, Davis said.
“I talk to people who have been bringing their kids here for years, and they’re bringing their kids, so it’s cool,” he said. “I’ve got people who come in once a week.”
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on the small business, the owner said.
“Everything just kept snowballing,” Davis said. “We got tired of pushing a rock uphill.”
He said that since the pandemic, the restaurant has been hit from all sides and lost many of its regulars as prices rose and people stopped eating out as much.
“The reality of it is it’s changed,” Davis said. “COVID was the start, for sure, and that put you kind of in a hole, and you’re trying to come out of that hole.”
After Griff’s closes, Davis said he will probably take a break from the business for a while — but the possibility of opening another restaurant in the future is “never off the table.”
