The Vault to relocate down the street
Owner says new location is bigger
The Vault Bar & Grill will soon relocate down the street from its existing location.
Not only that, but it will also be open for longer hours, said owner Sam Zenz at the City of Porterville’s Project Review Committee (PRC) Meeting.
The PRC provides developers and applicants with a preliminary meeting to evaluate proposed projects. The PRC consists of the zoning administrator, city planner, city engineer, chief building official and fire chief or their designees.
On Wednesday, Zenz met with the city’s PRC to review, evaluate and study his proposal for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a Type 41 license, which, if approved, would authorize the sale of beer and wine for consumption on or off the premises for a bona fide public eating place.
Before Zenz can open his new restaurant at 73 N. Main St., the site of the old Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, Julie Phillips, the city’s community development manager, said all he needs to do is first have the Porterville City Council approve the CUP and then have the California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control approve it as well. A CUP is required because alcohol sales are involved.
The Vault is currently located at 178 Main St. and is one of the more popular restaurants in town.
Zenz said opening the Vault in 2015 started as a hobby, but after it took off he thought why not move to a bigger location.
He added that he also wanted to move to help make downtown Porterville look more complete.
“There’s a few vacant buildings that need to get filled up so we are trying to help with that,” Zenz said.
Zenz said business at
the Vault’s current building will still continue. He said, however, that he may close it temporarily for a couple of weeks to direct people to the new location once it is up and running. “We intend to open it back up as something else,” Zenz said of the Vault’s former building space. “More than likely it will still be a restaurant.”
He added that he also intends to change the name on the old building and the style of food.
“We are not exactly sure what we are going to do, but we will work all of that out,” he said, adding that right now he is “focused on getting the new project moving forward
and getting moved down the street.”
Mitch Sandoval, a battalion chief with the Porterville Fire Department, said at the meeting that Zenz will need to install a knox box — a small, wall-mounted safe that holds building keys for fire departments, emergency medical services, and sometimes police to retrieve in emergency situations — in the building.
“That would need to be purchased and put on there,” Sandoval said, adding that he likes that Zenz is adding another business in the city. “I am glad you guys are expanding. Business is good.”