October 2, 2017 – Historic Wills Fargo steak house and saloon in Carmel Valley—which was converted into the Holman Ranch Tavern just five months ago—is back on the market.
The 4,266 square foot restaurant and bar is for sale for $2.9 million, including the liquor license and all the furnishings and equipment.
“The Lowder family has enjoyed serving the Carmel Valley community and the tavern is going to stay open, operating normally for now,” said Holman Ranch general manager Liz Bolar.
“The ranch will stay in the family and also continue to operate normally. We are looking forward to focusing on events and on the winery,” she said, adding that various options were being considered for a new tasting room.
The current owners purchased the 1920s era roadhouse in 2014 from Bernardus Lodge owner Ben Pon, as he began to divest of some of his holdings. They ran it as Wills Fargo for several years, with the help of French-born executive chef Jèrôme Viel. At the end of last year, Viel purchased the Carmel Valley Market and left to run it.
Wills closed in March for refurbishment and reopened in May as the Holman Ranch Tavern, a place to enjoy a cocktail or a glass of Holman wine while nibbling on a variety of appetizers.
At the time, owner Hunter Lowder told EMB: “The restaurant industry is definitely changing and people just aren’t going out for high-end dinners anymore.” Read our preview of the tavern here…
Since the closure of Wills Fargo, Carmel Valley chef Fabrice Roux—owner of Roux—has worked to open his own steak house Carmel Valley Chophouse in the location formerly occupied by Brendan Jones’ popular restaurant Lokal. The Chophouse is set to open sometime this month.
Chefs Todd Fisher and Jeremiah Tydeman, with the backing of Folktale Winery, have also stepped into the breach, opening the 7th & Dolores steak house in Carmel.
The beautiful Holman Ranch in Carmel Valley, with its vineyards, winery, olive grove, stables and stone hacienda has been named one of the best venues in the country for weddings and private parties.
View the for sale listing here: http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/20519031/16-18-W-Carmel-Valley-Road-Carmel-Valley-CA/
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At Edible Monterey Bay, our mission is to celebrate the local food culture of Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties, season by season. We believe in sustainability, and we believe everyone has a right to healthful, clean and affordable food. We think knowing where our food comes from is powerful, and we hope our magazine, website and newsletters inspire readers to get to know and support our local growers, fishers, chefs, vintners and food artisans.
