Demolition began early morning Aug. 28 and was generally finished by the afternoon of Aug. 29. Rows of chairs removed from inside the restaurant were placed outside by the demolition crew before the morning work began. Photo by Thomas J. Sullivan

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - Once a much-loved destination along Citrus Height’s “restaurant row” on Sunrise Boulevard, the vacant 9,372-square-foot Marie Callender’s restaurant, built in 1978 and opened in the early 1980s, was recently demolished by its new owner, Patterson Properties, to make way for a new, yet to be named quick-serve restaurant.

Demolition began early morning Aug. 28 and was generally finished by the afternoon of Aug. 29. Rows of chairs removed from inside the restaurant were placed outside by the demolition crew before the morning work began.

Many of those who stopped by for a last look at the restaurant before an excavator began tearing down its exterior walls said they will carry lasting memories of unforgettable pies, memorable meals and the restaurant staff’s friendly service. The restaurant closed its doors in 2019.

Patterson Properties Inc., based in Roseville, recently closed escrow on the restaurant building at 5525 Sunrise Blvd., according to the Sacramento Business Journal.

Asher Garden LLC, with an address in Beverly Hills, is listed as the seller in records.

Caroline Lafler and Brenda Miller of TRI Commercial Real Estate Services represented the seller in the deal. Torren Ragan, John Brecher and Dave White of Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) in Sacramento represented the buyer, Patterson Properties, according to the Journal.

Once a much-loved destination along Citrus Height’s “restaurant row” on Sunrise Boulevard, the vacant 9,372-square-foot Marie Callender’s restaurant, built in 1978 and opened in the early 1980s, was recently demolished. Photo by Thomas J. Sullivan

Signage was since been installed by the brokerage Jones Lang LaSalle of Sacramento in front of the former restaurant facing Sunrise Boulevard that describes the location as a “fully approved quick service restaurant (QSR) entitled site available for ground lease.”

A current Loopnet listing describes the property at 5525 Sunrise Blvd. as the “only entitled QSR site that’s ready to build in the Sunrise Marketplace corridor.”

On June 10, the Citrus Heights Planning Commission members unanimously approved a design use permit in June to allow the construction of a new 5,000-square-foot quick serve, drive-thru restaurant that will feature two drive-through service lanes on 1.55 acres at the southwest corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Pebble Beach Drive.

Owner James Patterson, president of Patterson Properties, Inc. told the Citrus Heights Planning Commission that their unanimous decision could allow his investment and development firm to market the location to compatible users such as Chick-fil-A or In-N-Out Burger.

The civil engineering and land planning firm of Morton & Pitalo, Inc. in Folsom submitted project drawings on behalf of Patterson Properties.

Project drawings show a double lane drive-thru condensing down to a single lane around the final turn facing Pebble Beach Drive before the pick-up window. A 50-foot sloping landscape green belt will also face Sunrise Boulevard.

Pebble Beach Drive separates the planned quick service restaurant drive-thru from the Hibachi Buffet restaurant located next door.

The site plan also calls for the addition of 58 regular parking spaces, three Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant parking spaces and 13 electric-vehicle-capable parking spaces.

Vehicular entrance points are from Birdcage Street, Pebble Beach Drive and through the parking lot shared by soon- to-be-opened Must Be Cow Korean BBQ restaurant, as well as the commercial office space facing Birdcage Drive.