‘Unsustainable’ restaurant closes after 45 years. Chain has one Boise-area location left

If you live in Nampa, it’s been a familiar sight since you were born, possibly.

Maybe since your parents were born.

But Sizzler in Canyon County is no more.

A price-conscious belly-filler since 1977, the family-style restaurant at 501 Caldwell Blvd. closed Tuesday, Nov. 29.

The cost of operating had become “unsustainable,” local co-owner Gretchen Anderson explained in an email.

Anderson and her husband, Buster Minshew, continue to run the lone remaining Sizzler in the Treasure Valley. The Meridian restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily at 3380 N. Eagle Road.

Known for its steaks, seafood and salad bar, Sizzler was founded in 1958 and still operates in multiple Western states — primarily California.

Saying goodbye to the longtime Nampa store was a difficult yet necessary choice, Anderson said. The year 1977 was when “Star Wars” came out. Jimmy Carter was president. Elvis Presley died.

It boils down to economics in 2022.

“Business conditions for many restaurants are extremely challenging right now,” she said.

“Ultimately, we’re not in business to lose money — it’s that simple. For my husband and me, this was a fraught decision — and one we couldn’t delay.”

In 2019, they closed the Sizzler in Boise. It had been on Cole Road for more than 30 years.

Citing financial woes because of the coronavirus, Sizzler USA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020. But that didn’t affect the Treasure Valley locations. Anderson and Minshew are Sizzler licensees.

Headquartered in Mission Viejo, California, the chain still operates dozens of restaurants. In Idaho, besides Meridian, there are locations in Twin Falls, Pocatello and Idaho Falls.

“A good number of our fantastic team members are going to continue working for us in Meridian,” Anderson said. “There’s some solace in that.”

BoiseDev first reported the Nampa closure.