A new restaurant took over East Sacramento’s beloved 33rd Street Bistro. Here’s what happened

Rahim and Sheila Amiri thought that tasty Mediterranean and American cuisine, friendly employees and a $1 million renovation would make Brickland Bistro a big success.

“We put our life savings into this place,” said Rahim Amiri, a home builder and first-time restaurant owner.

What they didn’t foresee was an unofficial boycott of their restaurant on Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento from customers disgruntled by the closure of 33rd Street Bistro, which had occupied the location for 24 years.

The Amiris found out about Brickland after Rahim became aware of the vacant restaurant while touring it. He was planning to work as the main contractor in renovating the space for an Italian restaurant. That restaurant fell through, Rahim Amiri said, and the couple decided to go ahead with their own establishment. They opened Brickland in August 2022.

They did not have an understanding that they were occupying a space that was sacred to many in East Sacramento. The 33rd Street Bistro had closed its doors in early March 2020, following a rent dispute between co-owner brothers Fred and Matt Haines and their new landlord.

The Bistro’s tight-knit group of regular customers started talking about an informal boycott of whatever replaced 33rd Street Bistro at the restaurant’s closing night party, former general manager Chris Reyes said.

Fred Haines said he and his brother had nothing to do with any boycott. They were upset about the lease dispute, but they moved on and put their energy into their other restaurants, including Wildwoods Kitchen & Bar in Arden Arcade and Roc and Sol Virtual Dinner in midtown Sacramento.

“I can’t help it if people liked my restaurant,” said Haines. “It was a staple of East Sacramento. People enjoyed going there. We treated people well.”

The Amiris learned of the customer boycott when business at their 110-seat restaurant never picked up, even on weekends. They started asking the people who did patronize Brickland what they could do to bring the customers who had previously frequented the bistro.

What they heard back was that it didn’t matter: Some customers would never be coming.

Disgruntled customers

“The 33rd Street Bistro was the Cheers of East Sacramento,” said Reyes, referring to the once popular television show where customers and staff bonded in a fictional Boston bar.

Joel Ayres was a champion of 33rd Street Bistro, frequenting the establishment three or four times a week. He officiated at the wedding of one of the bistro’s bartenders and was friends with several restaurant managers.

“I was a big fan,” he said of 33rd Street.

Friends told him not to go to the new restaurant.

“They said let’s boycott them, they made the 33rd Street Bistro go away,” said Ayres, who works as the executive director of the automotive aftermarket charitable foundation.

He ignored their plea and went anyway a few months after the new restaurant opened, discovering that he liked the food, the atmosphere and the owners.

“It’s not fair, these are good people,” Ayres said of unofficial boycott impacting the Amiri’s business.

He said he has been able to persuade some of the former customers of 33rd Street to give Brickland a chance, especially given the friendly welcome offered by the Amiris, but there are still holdouts who refuse to change their views against the cafe.

Former bartender Roman Marcano said one customer told him, “My friends would kill me if they knew I was here. We don’t want to make this our spot anymore.”

The unofficial boycott is having a real world effect on Brickland Bistro’s 20 workers.

Rahim Amiri said servers are sometimes told to leave early, hours before officially stated closing time.

A taste of Afghanistan

Rahim Amiri said while he has never operated a restaurant, the food business is not new to his family.

His family settled in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1980 after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and his mother opened an Afghan restaurant.

“Our mother was the head chef and wowed everyone with her cooking, even The New York Times gave us a four-star review,” he said. “Years later, the restaurant was relocated to West Hartford, and to this day it is owned and operated by my sister.”

Rahim and Sheila Amiri figured native dishes from their home country combined with hamburgers and omelets would be sure winners at Brickland.

Amiri said what he particularly loves about being a restaurant owner is getting to know his customers, finding out about them, and making them part of an extended family. He wants every group in the Sacramento community to feel welcome.

Rugs from his native country cover the floors, and modern art from Sacramento artists hang on the walls of the restaurant. In addition to a regular bar, the open layout of the restaurant contains a separate coffee bar and an outdoor dining patio.

Reyes, the former general manager of 33rd Street, said he hopes more people discover Brickland Bistro to experience the food and the owners, enabling it to get a firmer financial footing.

“They have international fare, American fare,” he said. “It’s a great family-owned restaurant that reflects the diversity of Sacramento.”

Reyes said he hopes East Sacramento residents will welcome Brickland Bistro into their family.

This story was originally published June 21, 2023 at 5:00 AM.