Ramona Cafe owner sells popular Main Street eatery she has run …

After 36 years of running Ramona Cafe, Sonja Steiner is selling the Main Street restaurant known for its cinnamon rolls so she can pursue other endeavors.
The sale of the cafe is expected to be finalized within the next week, Steiner said. The new owner will be Unal Samanci, a restaurateur from Yorba Linda who has worked in the industry for about 15 years.
Samanci has said he is not planning to change the restaurant. The staff and menu will stay the same under the Ramona Cafe name, at least for now, he said.
Get the Ramona Sentinel in your inbox
Top news from Ramona, in your inbox every Thursday for free.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Ramona Sentinel.
“I’m going off and doing some other endeavors,” said Steiner, a Ramona resident of 55 years. “It’s been a nice run. I’ve had the restaurant for 36 years in June. Life is short, so if you can do something now, take the time to do it.”
Steiner plans to build a ranch-style house on property near Cody, Wyo., where she can live part-time. She said she was drawn to the small town because it reminds her of what Ramona was like years ago.
“It has a laid-back, country-western vibe that I enjoy and I just fell in love with it,” the 61-year-old said. “Sometimes you just know.”
Steiner wants to continue working, so she’s considering getting a real estate license in Wyoming.
Samanci said he plans to move to Ramona or Poway, where he and his wife, Leyla’s, two daughters, Ariana, 4, and Sara, 14, can attend school.
He and his wife are from Kurdistan, which is located in four different countries — Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. Samanci arrived in the United States in 2001 and his wife arrived a year later. They both had ambitions to continue their education and to escape fighting between the Kurds and the Turks, he said.
“We came as political refugees,” Samanci said. “After we came here the situation got worse and we decided to stay.”
Samanci had a bachelor’s in political science but pursued a master’s in political science in the U.S. His wife had a bachelor’s in economics but came to the U.S. to study computer science and accounting, he said.
Samanci went to work at Andres Cafe in Boston, and after two years he bought the restaurant. In 2010 the family sold the business and moved to California a year later because of the better weather.
From 2011 to 2014, the Samancis owned Del Mar Diner in Del Mar, but sold it to move to Los Angeles. Unal Samanci worked as a manager at the Nuroj Kurdish Cuisine restaurant in Agoura Hills for a few years before opening Casino Car Wash in Lake Elsinore in 2017. The family still owns the car wash, he said.
Samanci said he decided to buy Ramona Cafe because he loves small towns that remind him of the village where he grew up. He particularly loves diners, he said, especially breakfast diners. Plus he loves to cook.
“Even at home I cook all the time for my wife and daughters,” said Samanci, who has had on-the-job training as a chef. ”If I get the chance and have the time I’ll go to culinary school.”
The family plans to keep Ramona Cafe the way it is now, he said. But after they become familiar with the customers and community they may add items to the menu or offer dinner specials. There’s always the possibility that they may add Kurdish cuisine as well, he said.
“I love cooking — that’s why I came back to the restaurant business,” he said. “Making people happy, serving them good food and seeing them have a good time is something I enjoy.”
Some of Steiner’s best memories at Ramona Cafe have been making people happy and serving them good food, too, she said.
One of the highlights was being featured on the Food Network TV show “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” in 2007. The show’s host, Guy Fieri, showcased Ramona Cafe’s famous cinnamon rolls, chicken cordon bleu and chicken fried steak.
“I appreciated the extra boost I got from the show,” Steiner said. “It was such a great thing. To this day I still have people come in to check out my cinnamon rolls and chicken cordon bleu.”
Steiner has wanted her own business in the restaurant industry since she was a child helping her dad, Charley Steiner, deliver eggs for his business, Swiss Mountain View Egg Farm in Ramona.
He delivered eggs around the county, from San Ysidro to Oceanside, to customers such as Denny’s and IHOP restaurants and local hotels for more than 40 years. Seeing the backend of the hospitality business on the delivery routes inspired his daughter to get a food, science and nutrition degree from San Diego State University in 1985.
Charley Steiner learned in 1987 that Ramona Cafe was ready to be sold by former owner Doris Chambers. The restaurant had opened in the 1920s, but was closed a number of years before former Kountry Kitchen manager Chambers reestablished it in 1981.
The Steiners saw an opportunity to buy it. Sonja Steiner had graduated from college by this time.
For the first few years she and her mom, Maria Steiner, ran Ramona Cafe together. Maria Steiner, who had made Swiss pastries and bread at the Swiss Pastries by Marcel shop in Santa Monica in her 20s, was an expert at whipping up fancy desserts and pies.
Steiner’s parents met at that pastry shop, which was run by Maria Steiner’s sister, Margrith Burlet, and her husband, Marcel.
After three years of running Ramona Cafe with her mom, Steiner was ready to take the reins full-time.
“I always wanted to own my own business and a restaurant was right up my alley,” she said. “I love to please people and to call my own shots. If something goes wrong, then it’s on me.”
After all these years, Steiner said she’s reached a point where she’s been involved in this business — which can be a time-consuming responsibility — long enough.
Steiner said she will miss working with her staff and interacting with the customers. But she said she’s confident she’s found a new owner with experience who will be a good fit for Ramona Cafe.
“It’s a good time for me to let somebody else take it over and apply their own ideas,” Steiner said. “I enjoy the restaurant business, I just want to move on to the next chapter in my life and try another venture. Exactly what my journey is I don’t know.”

Get the Ramona Sentinel in your inbox
Top news from Ramona, in your inbox every Thursday for free.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Ramona Sentinel.
Follow Us
At a time when local news is more important than ever, support from our readers is essential. If you are able to, please support the Ramona Sentinel today.
News
Aug. 2, 2023
News
Aug. 2, 2023
News
July 26, 2023
News
July 26, 2023
choose any amount, cancel any time
April 27, 2021
News
Sept. 15, 2023
News
Sept. 13, 2023
News
Sept. 13, 2023
News
Sept. 13, 2023
News
Sept. 13, 2023
News
Sept. 13, 2023
At a time when local news is more important than ever, support from our readers is essential. If you are able to, please support the Ramona Sentinel today.
Privacy Policy
Editorial Policy
Terms of Service
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Follow Us

source

Related Articles