This East Sacramento restaurant is seeking your help — by dining or donating
In a social media post on Nov. 17, East Sacramento restaurant Casa East Sac co-owner Ted Gibanov shared a reel on Instagram, noting that summer sales had fallen short of expectations. The post included a link to fundraising platform Spotfund, asking patrons to help close a $60,000 revenue gap.
But the appeal wasn’t about charity, the brothers said — it was about staying afloat through community support.
“I want to be clear,” said Gibanov’s brother and Casa’s other co-owner, Steven Gibanov. “I don’t want people to donate. I want them to come eat here.”
Business slowed in the summer months, and by the end of the season, the deficit was clear.
“Just one or two weeks of missed sales can dramatically change a restaurant’s health,” Steven Gibanov said. So far, fall hasn’t offered much of a rebound.
Casa’s challenges echo what others in the local food scene are experiencing. “I’ve talked to a lot of other chefs and restaurateurs,” he said, “and it’s been happening all around.” In Greenhaven, Bodega Kitchen & Cocktails recently shuttered, also citing declining traffic and rising costs.
Faced with slow service, the brothers have had to reduce staffing and have cut lunch service on weekdays, which used to be a strong part of their service, to make the business run leaner.
Still, they’re hopeful.
“If we have a strong holiday season, we can make it back up.” Gibanov said. “A couple buyouts and a more normal service would get us back on track.”
The Spotfund campaign aims to cover operational gaps, restore front-of-house staffing, and invest in capital needs: flatware, wine glasses, and an ice cream machine to expand dessert sales. Upcoming costs for licenses and insurance are also a factor.
Inside the kitchen, the team is predominantly made up of Ukrainian immigrant women.
“So, my brother and I have Russian backgrounds,” said Gibanov. “When we first opened and were looking for help, a Ukrainian friend of ours who owns a cafe mentioned that she has people that are Ukrainian, and they don’t speak English, and we said, that’s OK, we speak Russian.
“A lot of Ukrainian people speak both Russian and Ukrainian, so that worked out well for us.”
Since opening in 2022, Casa has become a fixture on H Street. The restaurant operates out of a converted Arts & Crafts-style house, with a pared-down Scandinavian interior — light wood, clean lines, minimal color.
Before launching Casa, Ted served as chef at Revolution Winery & Kitchen in midtown and Steven cooked for two decades in San Francisco. Their menu often reflects that city’s Cal-European blend, grounded in seasonal ingredients and unfussy presentation.
The building once housed two other restaurants: Joon Market, which closed in 2022, and Neighborhood Pizzeria, a venture by the team behind midtown’s Federalist Public House.
Casa East Sac
Address: 5401 H St., East Sacramento
Phone: 916-898-3702
Hours: Dinner 4-8:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 5-8 p.m. Saturday; brunch 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closed Monday-Wednesday
Website: casaeastsac.com
Drinks: Full bar with wine, beer and spirits; soft drinks
