From a small one room office opened in Kentfield, California in February 1996 to a multi suite multi person staff today, Restaurant Realty Company has grown into California’s Largest Restaurant Business Brokerage in 10 short years completing sales of nearly 500 restaurants, bars or clubs.
As founder and President, Steve Zimmerman has utilized skills learned from 20 plus years in the restaurant business and from his 30 plus years of real estate investing. At Zim’s Restaurants he was personally involved in opening over 10 restaurants as well as selling a number of units. This experience has helped him to understand both the buyer’s and seller’s side of the transaction as well as being able to use his analytical skills when evaluating financial data. As a real estate investor Steve has a broad range of experience with varied properties. This has contributed to his expertise in understanding the various aspects of putting together deals.
Steve uses not only his business experience but he utilizes his education as well. After receiving college degrees from the University of San Francisco and Cornell University, Steve earned a college teaching credential and has taught several courses through the years at City of College of San Francisco Hotel and Restaurant School and Golden Gate University’s former School of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management. Steve has been a guest lecturer at the California Culinary Academy (CCA) for the last several years –teaching students all aspects of purchasing a restaurant from valuation, putting the business plan together and doing due diligence leading to restaurant acquisition. Steve gives presentations at the California Association of Business Brokers meetings and takes continuing education courses yearly at the International Business Brokers Association.
Steve has completed over 1,000 restaurant valuations, has consulted with hundreds of restaurant owners, served as an expert witness and has completed numerous transactions through the United States Bankruptcy Court.
Some of Restaurant Realty Company’s unique completed transactions include as follows:
- The sale of businesses including the buildings and real estate in the following cities: Lafayette, St. Helena, Novato, Alameda, San Francisco, Vallejo, Woodacre, Sonoma, Hayward, Olema, San Leandro, Oakland, Sebastopol and San Rafael.
- The sale of bars, nightclubs and brewpubs: San Francisco: the Great American Music Hall, Café Du Nord, Julie Rings Heart & Soul, Up & Down Club, POW, Lit Lounge, Jitney’s (formerly The Black Cat), Odeon, 26 Mix, Radio Valencia, Alta Plaza, The Social Club, Storeyville, Eleven, CAVA 555, Chat House, Sacrifice, Shannon’s, Hotel Utah, Gin Joint , Passion, Bobby Ryder’s and Potrero Brewing Company; in Marin: New George’s, B Street Tavern, Mancuso’s, Café Amsterdam, Willow Street Brewery and Ross Valley Brewing Company; Peninsula: the Back Beat (25,000 square feet), De Marco’s 23 Club, 101 Club, JB’s Lounge, The Lariat and Fanny & Alexander’s in San Jose, Burlingame and Palo Alto; and in the East Bay: Kings X, Sherry’s Lounge, Gordo’s, Gallagher’s, Norma’s Living Room and Bison Brewing Company.
- The sale of waterfront restaurants in Redwood City, Sausalito, Princeton by the Sea, Burlingame, Point Richmond, San Rafael, Pacifica, Alameda, San Francisco and Rodeo.
- The sale of units from the following chain restaurants: Tre Fratelli/I Fratelli, Firstwatch, Happi House, Pollo’s, Rosti, Subway, Wahaka, Good Earth, Round Table, Wendy’s, Mr. Pickles, Nation’s Hamburgers, Fillipo’s, Baja Fresh, North Beach Pizza, High Tech Burrito, Baskin Robbins, Togo’s, Extreme Pizza, Strizzi’s, Johnny Garlic’s, Yet Wah and Celia’s.
Restaurant Realty Company is committed to being the leader in its field and will continue to improve and expand its systems to provide its clients with the best services available in the industry for selling and buying restaurants, bars and clubs. We want to thank all of our clients for the opportunity of working with you the past ten years and we look forward to working with you again in the future.