Walnut Creek Yacht Club closed its doors in May after nearly 30 years of operation, but there are big plans for the restaurant space on the corner of Locust and Bonanza to be resurrected.
The Ghaben family, which also owns fine dining restaurant Lita and American comfort food restaurant Broderick Roadhouse — both of which are on that same street corner — has purchased the Yacht Club building from former owners Kevin Weinberg and Ellen McCarty.
And while Mike Ghaben isn’t yet ready to spill the beans on his family’s exact plans for the space, he said local restaurant goers have a lot to be excited about.
“It’s going to be the next hottest thing in Walnut Creek,” Ghaben said.
Ghaben offered a hint of what’s to come: he said it’s something that’s never been done locally, but he’s seen it done in New York and Las Vegas and his family has been dreaming of the concept for at least five years.
“Walnut Creek has become the hub of these very different concepts within a lot of ethnic backgrounds,” he said. “Look at Latin and Caribbean places that have different flavors. I think Walnut Creek has never been a place for regional or national franchises; it’s been about these one-off, chef-driven concepts that are very unique and different.”
One example of that is right across the street from the Yacht Club at Lita, which the Ghaben family opened in 2022.
WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 30: View of Lita restaurant in Walnut Creek, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
At Lita, chef Sean Streete is serving up Cuban and Jamaican dishes blended with Miami flavors. On the menu are empanadas and tacos, ceviche, and a handful of entrees showcasing tropical flavors.
“You usually look to San Francisco or Walnut Creek for unique flavors,” Ghaben said. “ And Walnut Creek is starting to take over San Francisco in that regard.”
But the sale of the Yacht Club space wasn’t an easy decision, Weinberg said.
Before closing, the Yacht Club celebrated nearly 30 years of consistently delicious seafood dishes, like their famous claim chowder. The owners’ biggest fear was that they’d sell the restaurant to somebody new who wouldn’t uphold the high standard that WCYC had set.
“We had people interested in continuing the brand and other people with different concepts from leasing and buying,” Weinberg said. “But we didn’t think it was really viable to keep the brand going under new management. This business is very difficult to transfer a longstanding brand that was independently run. You end up with a comparison factor. Even though you might change nothing, people will say, ‘it’s just not the same.’
“We wanted people to look at the space years ahead and say, ‘oh, remember the Yacht Club?’ And not, ‘remember when it was good?’ So we wanted to preserve the legacy.”
Walnut Creek Yacht Club chef-owner Kevin Weinberg, left, and co-owner Ellen McCarty stand in the dining room during the last day of the Walnut Creek Yacht Club restaurant in Walnut Creek, Calif., on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Almost 30 years since the restaurant opened, the co-owners say it’s just time to close and want to enjoy retirement. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Instead of leasing the space, Weinberg said it made more sense to sell it outright. The Ghaben family was a perfect match.
“They’ve been neighbors of ours for many years,” Weinberg said. “It came down to finding the right person we wanted to do a deal with. They’re locals, good operators. We’re confident they’re confident to do something nice with the property.”
Could the Ghaben’s newest restaurant continue with the seafood theme to honor the Yacht Club’s legacy? Ghaben wouldn’t say for sure, but he offered this: “I want to pay homage to the Yacht Club.”
Patience is required, however. It could take a year, maybe more, to renovate the building and prepare it for its next chapter. The building has been a restaurant for about 70 years, and before that it was a bank.
“It’s tired and needs to be really re-done properly,” Ghaben said. “We really don’t know how to just do a coat of paint and open a restaurant. That’s not our style. Everything we do is correctly done so we can operate for many years.”
Related Articles
7 awesome Bay Area things to do this weekend
Cracker Barrel unveils a controversial logo change
Now in San Jose: LA’s popular The Stand burgers (with 19 free condiment choices)
Get free chocolate chip cookies and milk at this Palo Alto museum
Summer peppers contribute to a lighter, brighter potato salad
The entire inside and outside will be renovated, he said. He’s also hired a local chef to help create the new menu.
“It will take some time, but the end result is going to be another magical Ghaben project,” Mike Ghaben said.
As for Weinberg, he’s enjoying retirement after 30 years in the kitchen at the Yacht Club.
He’s constantly getting asked for his recipes, so he and McCarty are considering writing a book that would include their favorite recipes from the restaurant.
For now, he’s teaching himself a new skill: how to cook for one.
“Meal prepping is the way to do it,” he said. “But that’s 2-3 hours somewhere in the week you have to do your base shopping, get your stuff, do all that prep. Cooking for one is a challenge.”
Walnut Creek Yacht Club chef and co-owner Kevin Weinberg shows a clam chowder bowl at his restaurant in Walnut Creek, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)