Mamma pauses on Father’s Day
Also, a new online store for Bohème, and a free shake giveaway for the first day of summer
Two years to the day after the Italian restaurant Mamma opened in Davis’ old City Hall, it closed – at least temporarily.
The restaurant – lauded as the best place for outdoor dining in downtown Davis – sent its employees home after the Father’s Day shift, without word on its future. Although I have multiple reports of employees telling others that it is closing for good, on Sunday, owner Michael Galyen said, “I haven’t told that to a single person yet.”
In a text, he said, “nothing is decided yet. I will let you know when it is.”
Galyen grew up in Davis and was excited to open the restaurant in his hometown. He has a sports bar/steakhouse in Napa. Since fall, he has brushed off rumors of the restaurant’s impending closure.
In a September email, he told me his co-owner, chef Arnaud Drouvillé, “fell very ill and returned to Asia.” When I last ate there in mid-December, Galyen, a Napa resident, said he was staying at his parents’ Davis house as he ran the restaurant. His wife was working as well, staffing the host station that day.
Galyen did not respond to further questions or requests for a phone interview. He said announcing a closure was premature.
The Mamma website did not mention a closure but online reservations were not available. Its Facebook page shared a post at 11 a.m. on Monday, touting the restaurant’s bestsellers, like lasagna. Restaurant traffic dies down considerably during the summer, after graduations and Father’s Day. Some UC Davis students leave town, though not as many as did a couple decades ago. Let’s hope this is just a pause.