Sequoia Diner, the warm, gently bustling, turquoise-hued neighborhood gem crowned the East Bay’s Best Breakfast in the 2025 Nosh awards, is changing hands. Andrew Vennari, the owner of the decade-old diner, confirmed the sale, first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, is in escrow. The new owners will begin operations by the middle or end of February. 

A few factors contributed to Vennari’s decision to sell. For starters, there was the physical and mental toll of running a restaurant for 10 years. 

“It was a good run, but my body’s all messed up now,” he said. “I realized that I was sort of sacrificing my health and well-being for the sake of the business. And I really want to spend more time with my son. This opportunity came along, and it was a really hard decision to make.”

Vennari also cited ballooning costs as a reason he’s selling the business. The old paradigms of running a restaurant, he said, don’t apply anymore, and operating on razor-thin margins added pressure to his day-to-day operations. 

“When you work at a restaurant, if it’s slow, it’s like, maybe I’ll go home early. But when you own the business, it’s just a different level of stress,” he said. “A couple of slow days can really make the difference between making money on the day or on the year.”

3719 MacArthur Blvd. (at Loma Vista Avenue), Oakland; www.sequoiadiner.com

Hours: Monday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Still, a change of ownership — rather than a flat-out closure — can be considered a win in Oakland, where beloved restaurants shutter weekly in wake of huge financial hurdles, shifting dining habits and, in some cases, safety concerns.

“I feel really privileged to have gotten to serve this neighborhood for so long. At some point, I just felt like it was time to take a break,” he said. 

The new owners, a corporation called Third Vision, also operate two other Bay Area restaurants: Solano Junction in Albany and Fandee’s in Sebastopol. A representative from Third Vision, Ramesh Shrestha, told Nosh in an email that the group will ultimately strive “to make a good diner even better.” 

“Our goal at Sequoia Diner is to keep what people already love, respect its history and continue its strong connection with the neighborhood. We plan to keep the name, the identity and the community spirit that make Sequoia special,” he said. “At the same time, we want to improve consistency, service and food quality while supporting the existing staff as much as possible. We are very hands-on owners and plan to be present as long-term operators in Oakland.” 

Third Vision plans to retain as many of the current Sequoia Diner employees as possible. 

This isn’t the first time the diner has changed hands. Before it was Sequoia Diner, 3719 MacArthur Blvd. was home to Full House Café, which Vennari said patrons still bring up fondly. Before that, it was called Chez Goldberg.

Vennari opened Sequoia Diner with his then-wife, Sequoia Broderson, in 2015. The breakfast joint quickly rose to local stardom for its fresh spin on diner fare and its housemade goods like sourdough, cured meats and pastries.

“You know, 10, 11 years ago, I was like, how come there’s no breakfast place where they make their own sausages and bread and own jam and have these good eggs and local things? How come no one does that?” he said. 

A lot has changed in the 10 years since the diner’s inception. 

“The Warriors were still in Oakland. They were winning championships. And it was just like, there’s so much energy,” he said of Sequoia’s early days. When the pandemic hit, Vennari boarded up the storefront and switched to a delivery-only model, which meant introducing a digital point of sale system to the business. 

“We had to get a POS because we had to do online ordering. And now I’m doing DoorDash, which I said I would never do,” he said. “But, I mean, we needed to do it. It was like, I’m going to do whatever it takes to survive at all costs. Everything’s on the table. And that kind of takes a toll on your mental health and your physical health.”

Vennari said he hopes the new owners will continue to “bring some seasoning to the neighborhood,” and looks forward to having experienced restaurateurs take over the diner.

“You know, I’m hopeful that we can continue to be a place where everyone’s welcome. It’s really cool when you look around and you see how many different kinds of people come in to eat.”

“I was super lucky to have a really good crew,” he said. “And I think that the highlights [of running a restaurant] are all about the people you work with and the people you serve and how you become kind of a community and a family with them.”

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