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Hemet council approves $450,000 in downtown kitchen grants with strict build-and-open conditions
Summary
The Hemet City Council approved $450,000 in reimburseable grants to support new downtown restaurant kitchens, allocating $300,000 to Carlton Steakhouse and $150,000 to Kimball's Bistro and requiring quick permitting, opening timelines and two years of continuous operation.
The Hemet City Council approved $450,000 in downtown kitchen grants on July 8, 2025, voting 3-0 to award funding to downtown restaurant projects and to attach performance conditions, including a permit-and-build timeline and a two-year operating requirement.
City economic development staff designed the program as part of the Hemet Rises strategy to spur downtown revitalization by incentivizing new commercial kitchens. Ben Sanibel, economic development manager, told the council the program targeted downtown sites and was meant to help smaller local businesses open or expand kitchen capacity. Sanibel said the city had appropriated $300,000 in the current fiscal year and an additional $200,000 in the next year for kitchen grants.
Council members approved a motion that allocates $300,000 to Carlton Steakhouse and $150,000 to Kimball's Bistro; a request to waive certain fees for Samurai Sands was addressed…
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