Acclaimed River Street Marketplace restaurant to close after just over a year

The Market by The Meat Cellar cites soaring costs and inability to reach revenue projections as reasons for shutting down

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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After opening in November 2024, The Market by The Meat Cellar at San Juan Capistrano's River Street Marketplace has announced it will be closing its doors on March 1, 2026. Owners Anthony and Sara Villegas, who also operate The Meat Cellar in Claremont, cited a difficult operating environment for independent restaurants and an inability to reach revenue projections as the reasons behind the closure.

Why it matters

The closure of The Market by The Meat Cellar points to the increasing challenges facing independent restaurants in California, with soaring operating costs and a tough competitive landscape making it difficult for 'mom and pop' operations to survive. The Villegases warned that without more community support, the future of the hospitality industry risks becoming entirely corporate.

The details

Despite a steady start, the Villegases noted that revenue never reached the levels needed to sustain the business following a lengthy construction process. They also cited the rising costs of operating a restaurant in California over the past decade, saying 'the costs and logistics of operating a restaurant have skyrocketed' to the point where restaurant ownership is 'almost out of reach for real people'.

  • The Market by The Meat Cellar opened in November 2024.
  • The final day of service will be on Sunday, March 1, 2026.

The players

The Market by The Meat Cellar

A restaurant that combined a butchery, cheese shop, culinary boutique and full-service steakhouse, located at the River Street Marketplace in San Juan Capistrano.

Anthony and Sara Villegas

The husband-wife owners of The Market by The Meat Cellar, who also own and operate The Meat Cellar in Claremont.

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What they’re saying

“As pretty much everyone knows, we are literally a mom and pop restaurant — entirely self-funded with no partners or investors or business loans. So when even December fell wildly short of our projections (and the sales in any of our previous restaurants) we knew it was time to call it. We gave it everything we had, quite literally. We set out to create a unique space where people could connect over food. Within these walls we wrote a love letter to living.”

— Anthony and Sara Villegas, Owners (Instagram)

“This is so much bigger than our market. Small businesses are struggling, and it feels like local restaurants in particular are approaching extinction. We know firsthand that people who choose to open restaurants in their communities do so with genuine hearts and a desire — sometimes a NEED — to serve their neighbors. But the costs and logistics of operating a restaurant have skyrocketed in the 10 years since we opened our first location, and at this point, restaurant ownership is almost out of reach for real people. If we don't do something about it, the future of hospitality businesses will be completely corporate.”

— Anthony and Sara Villegas, Owners (Instagram)

What’s next

The Villegases have expressed hope for finding a 'forever home' elsewhere and are scouting potential locations across Orange and Los Angeles counties. They noted they are open to partnering with investors for future endeavors, unlike their previous self-funded ventures.

The takeaway

The closure of The Market by The Meat Cellar highlights the growing challenges facing independent restaurants in California, with soaring operating costs and a tough competitive landscape making it increasingly difficult for 'mom and pop' operations to survive. This raises concerns about the future of the hospitality industry, which the Villegases warn risks becoming entirely corporate if communities don't do more to support small, local restaurants.