Granzella’s Groundbreaking Today

Work on the second coming of Granzella's Restaurant will start today.

But before the Williams eatery can begin serving up its Italian dishes again, it needs to replace much of the staff that cooked, served, cashiered and tended bar before a fire razed it four months ago.

"Half of them have taken other jobs because of the fact that they have to live," said Jim Granzella, who co-founded his namesake restaurant with his wife, Beverly, 32 years ago.

Originally a small roadside delicatessen, Granzella's gained fame across the North State as a traveler's oasis combining a restaurant, olive business, sports bar and hotel.

But on Oct. 11, a kitchen fire spread into the century-old wooden structure that housed the dining rooms, putting about 125 people out of work.

Granzella's Inn was not damaged and remains open, along with a deli in temporary quarters across Sixth Street from the restaurant site.

The Granzella family paid employees' wages for two months and longer for managers. But only about 60 workers are already available to rejoin the eatery, though the founder declared himself ready to give hiring priority to any others willing to return.

"Any of them that want to come back, they're hired," he said Tuesday. The restaurant is expected to reopen with a smaller-than-normal staff, with extra workers to be added as customers return.

The Williams City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved another $500,000 loan to help rebuild Granzella’s Restaurant, bringing the total loan package from the Department of Housing and Community Development to about $1 million

The exact terms of the loan have not been set, but the interest rate will fall somewhere between 3-5 percent.

A groundbreaking ceremony at 10 a.m. today is open to the public and will signal the start of the restaurant's rebuilding.

Construction of the new Granzella's — slightly larger than the original, at 13,000 square feet — is slated to last about four months, with the goal of reopening by July 1.

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Howard Yune can be reached at 458-2121 or 749-4708, or at hyune@appealdemocrat.com. Colusa Sun-Herald writer Robert Parsons contributed reporting.