SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Many businesses in Sacramento are doing everything they can to stay open. For Rick’s Dessert Diner—that means closing temporarily.
News that one of Sacramento's favorite dessert spots was closing spread fast Monday morning. The phone at the diner rang off the hook with concerned customers.
"Well, they’re worrying about me closing because they crave my desserts all the time," Ahmed Eita, the owner of Rick's Dessert Diner joked.
Eita said the closure is absolutely not permanent. He said he will re-open in January, or whenever stay-at-home orders aren't in effect.
"We are not out of business; we are not closing," Eita said. "We’re just closing for a couple weeks."
He said he closed for the safety of his customers and employees, and also, business had slowed down quite a bit since stay-at-home orders started back up.
"That hurt our business," Eita said. "I had to cut my losses and just close so we can stay in business."
Amanda Blackwood with Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce said while closing a small business temporarily is one way to cut down on costs, their data shows that the chance of re-opening becomes smaller.
"Each business is going to have to make the best decision that makes sense for them," Blackwood said. "Some business owners are making the choice that, 'just closing my doors for a little bit is going to keep payroll down and give me a little more time, a little more runway to see if my cash will stretch a little further.'"
She said business owners don't have to go it alone when trying to navigate their options. Help is available through the Capitol Region Small Business Development Center (SBDC).
"The SBDC has one-on-one counseling, workshops, classes," Blackwood explained.
The SBDC also offers guidance in getting loans and Cares Act funding, along with workshops and seminars focused on business planning, web marketing, and legal advice.
Blackwood said she’s optimistic about small businesses in Sacramento pulling through, but it will take some community support as well.
"One of the best things you can do is still do business with your local small business," she said. "So if there are gift cards, curbside, web-based."
And as for Rick’s Dessert Diner, Eita said he’ll be happy when he can hire back all his employees and see his customers again.
"We are actually going to come back stronger than ever," he said.
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