The city of Diamond Bar’s newest eatery celebrated its grand opening Tuesday.
Ranch House Café & Grill opened its doors with a ribbon cutting ceremony and a visit from four of the five city council members. The Golden Springs Drive restaurant took the place of a Carrows that had served the community since 1977. The Catalina Restaurant Group owns both Carrows and Ranch House. The company also owns Cocos, which has a location across the street from Ranch House.
At the Diamond Bar City Council meeting Tuesday night, council members lauded the opening.
“The food was phenomenal,” said Mayor Ling-Ling Chang.
Councilman Ron Everett said he welcomes another option for dining in town, adding that he was impressed at how fast the Carrows site was transformed.
“That was a real trip,” he said. “It was an economic business reopening probably done the fastest I’ve seen, in four weeks.”
Residents expressed concerns in September when Carrows shuttered, especially in light of the August closure of the Denny’s on Pathfinder. Several said they want to see more variety in the types of eateries in Diamond Bar.
Catalina Group officials said when Carrows closed that they understood the concerns but felt Ranch House would better serve the community by offering breakfast, steaks, chicken, burgers, a salad bar, and hot soups.
“We understand that Carrows was an important fixture in the community, however in order to meet the changing demands of our consumers, we as a company have developed a new restaurant concept named ‘Ranch House Café & Grill,’” Keith Marron, director of marketing for the Catalina Restaurant Group, wrote in an email.
“We are very excited about this concept and our first location, which opened in August in the City of La Habra, has had a very positive response from the community,” Marron wrote. “This new restaurant helps meet consumer's needs for delicious food, served quickly in a friendly, causal environment.”
Drake Yoshida, a manager with the restaurant, greeted the council members Tuesday night with "Howdy," the standard way Ranch House customers are welcomed. He said that besides a variety of food, the eatery serves four different coffees, beer, and wine, he said.
“We’re proud to be in the city of Diamond Bar,” he said.
