When restaurateurs JC Adams and Brad Barmore opened KIN restaurant on the Windsor Town Green in 2011, they banked on the continued growth and energy of the family-friendly community. Thirteen years later, the decision has paid off with a thriving business.
The duo took another chance on Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square last summer, opening 19Ten bar and restaurant in the sprawling Jack & Tony’s location as a new wave of businesses looked to invigorate the historic district. Despite a popular menu and critical praise, the restaurant couldn’t catch the same lightning in a bottle. It permanently closed in early October.
“The traffic never materialized the way we hoped,” said Barmore, who also co-owns Healdsburg’s KinSmoke.
Though they spent $1 million updating the space with new lighting fixtures, furniture and kitchen upgrades, Barmore said that perceived parking and safety issues at night contributed to an already challenging landscape for restaurateurs plagued by rising food costs and staffing shortages.
“The hardest thing is to look people in the face you consider family and friends, and who went through the battle of opening a restaurant, and tell them you can’t hold up your end of the bargain,” Barmore said.
You can reach Dining Editor Heather Irwin at heather.irwin@pressdemocrat.com. Follow Heather on Instagram @biteclubeats.