A few weeks ago, I wrote a three-part series of posts describing a Saturday in downtown Ontario. The third post in that series, The third E is Eating, described my first-ever visit to Ramon's Cactus Patch, a Mexican restaurant at the corner of San Antonio and Mission that has been in existence (at various locations) since the 1930s.
Toward the end of the post, I wrote:
I just regret that I waited so long to visit the place.
I really would have regretted it if I had waited a few more weeks to visit. According to David Allen, the restaurant is now closed, since Ramon has decided to retire.
After all, he's 99 years old.
Now some business plan extensive transition periods. Take NBC, which has decided (again) that Jay Leno will leave the Tonight Show and transition to a new host next year. But in the case of Ramon's Cactus Patch, the decision to finally close the restaurant (due to Ramon's health) was made rather quickly:
Customers who ate there on what turned out to be the last day [Saturday, March 30] had no idea the restaurant would close.
[Ramon's children] Roque and Ramona didn't either, although they knew the end was near.
The restaurant is typically closed Sunday and Monday. During a family meeting Sunday, they decided not to reopen Tuesday.
"It was very abrupt," Roque admitted.
I'm glad that I made it when I did. Hopefully, the family will be able to follow the suggestion that David Allen made, and open the restaurant for one last farewell to its customers.
