A GoFundMe account has been set up to aid the 350-plus employees put out of work when the owner of the Left Bank, LB Steak and Meso Modern Mediterranean restaurants abruptly shut down its seven properties on June 22.
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The owner, the Marin County-based Vine Hospitality, informed employees of the closings at 9 that morning — the day after their Father’s Day shifts, according to the management staff at three locations. Employees at at least two of the French specialty restaurants, the longtime Left Bank locations in Larkspur and Menlo Park, were paid to work a couple of additional days before the closings. Other restaurants shut down that day.
The decision affected seven restaurants: Left Bank in Larkspur, Menlo Park and San Jose, Petite Left Bank in Tiburon, LB Steak in San Jose and San Ramon, and Meso in San Jose. All three of the San Jose venues were located at Santana Row.
“For years, Vine was more than a workplace — it was a team, a community and a source of stability for the people who dedicated their time, energy and talent to helping the company succeed,” reads the online appeal launched by Vine colleague Derek Schuette, a restaurant industry veteran.
“Funds raised will go toward supporting affected employees with immediate needs such as essential living expenses, temporary financial assistance, job transition and employment support, transportation and day-to-day necessities, and emergency household expenses.”
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According to a WARN notice the company filed with the state Employment Development Department, a cash infusion to ward off the financial collapse could not be found. “Vine Hospitality worked hard to try to find additional investors or capital to support continued restaurant operations,” CEO Alistair Levine wrote in the WARN letter.
Vine was founded by his father in 1994 with the Larkspur location of Left Bank.
The layoffs included 353 jobs at the seven restaurants and 12 at the management company.
The company has made no statement to employees or customers, and the website still beckons guests: “We invite you to join us at the table.”
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