Santa Rosa’s 4th Street Social Club closing for good in October

Downtown Santa Rosa’s 4th Street Social Club announced Wednesday that it will close Oct. 10 because of pandemic-related losses, the latest blow to an area that has witnessed other closures.

Owners Melissa and Chris Matteson wrote on Instagram that “COVID got in the way and once area foot traffic dropped, we were never able to build the following needed to meet our obligations on a regular basis.”

They added that their solo investor “decided to pull the plug.”

The restaurant had planned to open on St. Patrick's Day in 2020. But that became untenable as the coronavirus spread through the country during later winter, and Sonoma County health officials ordered residents to shelter in place on March 18.

The Mattesons pivoted to a to-go menu initially and never were able to fully catch up. Melissa Matteson told the Press Democrat earlier this month that she and one server are handling a restaurant that can serve 35 people at a time, along with one chef.

“I'm the server, host, bartender, janitor and everything else,” she said.

The downtown area has been hit particularly hard by closures since the pandemic struck, with more people working from home. Local Barrel taproom; Peet’s Coffee; Kailber, a men’s boutique store; Bistro 29 restaurant; and Acre Coffee all have shut since the onset of the pandemic.

The Mattesons in their post shared concerns about the future of downtown as well.

“With each independent business that goes under, our downtown center becomes less interesting, less familiar, less inviting and less of a draw to locals and Wine Country visitors alike,” they wrote.

The couple noted that such closures will have a cascading effect on the overall economic climate locally, such as a decrease of sales taxes going into the city’s coffers.

They added that they have plans that ”are currently brewing” for a new endeavor. “Again, this is not The End, this is the beginning of another story,” they wrote.

You can reach Staff Writer Bill Swindell at 707-521-5223 or bill.swindell@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @BillSwindell.