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Cuisinett Bistro & Market closed after a final day of business in downtown San Carlos Saturday, Nov. 25.
“Our lease was reaching the end and we received an offer to buy the location,” owner Geoffroy Raby wrote in a message posted to the restaurant’s Instagram account Saturday, adding that a new restaurant would replace Cuisinett and take over the space Dec. 1.
In an interview Thursday, Raby said he was approached by a broker who knew a restaurateur looking to open an eatery in San Carlos in a similarly sized space as Cuisinett. After a slow summer, Raby decided in September to follow up with the restaurateur, who made an offer to take over the property.
Raby said he could not disclose who the new tenant will be beyond saying it’s an experienced restaurateur opening their second location.
“Either I can leave now and have something, or in one or two years I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Raby said about his decision to close. “You always hear crazy stories with a bad landlord; my landlord has been great. When I told him I’d be leaving, I told him that person has been in the restaurant industry a long time and already has one restaurant. I wanted to make sure it was fair for my landlord.”
After a short break, Raby says he anticipates looking for a new restaurant location in the Bay Area early next year and reopening as Cuisinett. He plans to send out updates via Cuisinett’s email list and Instagram account.
“All options are open, but I’m probably considering a new location early next year,” he said.
A native of Lille in the northern region of France, Raby moved to the United States in 2001 at the age of 20 and enrolled at San Francisco State University, studying marketing and finance. He worked in restaurants to earn money and was drawn to the industry.
Raby opened Cuisinett in 2011 as an ode to the neighborhood cafe he grew up with, serving classic French comfort foods like ratatouille, beef Bourguignon, and croque madame and monsieur sandwiches. During the pandemic, he added a market offering wine, charcuterie and other goods from France for sale.
Raby’s Instagram post Saturday prompted an outpouring of comments from fellow restaurateurs, including neighboring San Carlos businesses like Molly O’s, Out of the Barrel and Delizie Cucina & Vino.
“Geoffroy, you, your family and staff have been a place where so many have enjoyed your delicious and always thoughtful cuisine and care!” wrote Flea Street founder Jesse Cool. “Wishing you all good things as you move to your next adventure!”
Raby said Thursday that he had received over 500 messages since announcing the restaurant’s closure and that he was going to take time to respond to all of them. With his mother visiting from France in December, he plans to take the holiday season off and go back to France for a mother-son trip.
“I’ve had people telling me they grew up with the restaurant and come with their parents and people would bring their kids,” Raby said. “It’s been such a positive, great vibe. I was very happy I could bring so much positivity to the community.”
