Sadie’s at Santa Ana Star Casino to close
Major expansion plans at tribal resort include hotel with steakhouse
There will soon be no more Sadie’s sopaipillas next to the slots.
Sadie’s of New Mexico, the popular Albuquerque restaurant company, plans to close its Santa Ana Star Casino location on Jan. 31, co-owner William Stafford said Friday.
He said the parties’ contract was ending and Sadie’s decided to leave rather than renew given Santa Ana’s current evolution. The tribal casino near Bernalillo last year began a major expansion project that will add a hotel with a steakhouse and espresso bar.
Stafford said the parties remain on good terms and that the restaurant — which opened five years ago in about 15,000 square feet of space off the casino floor — had been doing healthy business.
“We could stay there if we wanted to extend our contract, but we sat down with them and it just made a lot of sense (to close),” Stafford said.
Santa Ana Star Casino is planning to develop a new restaurant for the space, General Manager John Cirrincione said in a statement. It should open in early April, though the casino did not share additional details.
Cirrincione said in a written statement that the casino and Sadie’s enjoyed a “harmonious relationship” and part as friends but ended their arrangement so each “may pursue its priorities in a changing business environment.”
The restaurant employed about 90 people. Stafford said Santa Ana has promised to interview any displaced employees who are interested and that Sadie’s could likely absorb any that want to remain with the company. Sadie’s has three other locations across Albuquerque and a salsa brand sold in 9,000 stores around the country. It also bought local catering company Blue Plate Special about a year ago.
“It’s really been quite a lucrative business for us,” Stafford said of the catering operation.
He said there are no immediate plans to replace the closing Sadie’s but that the familyowned restaurant company would be looking for opportunities to serve the Rio Rancho area.