Sitting at the long, elegant bar of the Brass Door with a glass of Chardonnay, Carolyn Krieg recalled a story about the early days of the beloved 70-year-old San Ramon steakhouse that explains her dismay that it will close for good on Christmas Eve.

When it came time to extend Interstate 680 south from Danville to Dublin in the 1960s, residents of San Ramon and the surrounding farms and ranches were outraged that the planned route would plow through their then-tiny village along old Highway 21, according to a news report at the time.

That included the Brass Door, which had become a destination for special-occasion family dinners and power lunches for East Bay movers and shakers. Hundreds packed public meetings, persuading planners to move the freeway to the east — and away from their favorite steakhouse.

“So, when you have something like that, you have to save it because it’s historic,” Krieg said. “How could you let that go?”

Busser Juan Chavez, of Concord, wipes away a tear as he becomes emotional while speaking about his time working at The Brass Door in San Ramon, Calif., on Thursday, Dec.11, 2025. The restaurant is closing after 70 years in business. The final day of operation will be on December 24th, 2025. Chavez has worked at the restaurant for the past 35 years and started working there when he was 16 years old. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) — Juan Chavez of Concord wipes away a tear as he becomes emotional while speaking about his time working at the Brass Door in San Ramon. The restaurant is closing on Dec. 24 after 70 years in business, and Chavez, a busser, has worked there for 35 years starting when he was 16. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

But last week, the restaurant’s owner, Shahla Azad, announced she would in fact be letting the Brass Door go, ending operations after serving dinner on Dec. 24. On Facebook, the “Brass Door Team” blamed an unresolvable lease dispute between the building’s owner.

“The Brass Door has been more than a business — it has been a gathering place for friends, families, celebrations, and countless memories,” the Facebook announcement said.

The landlord, however, has offered a different version of events. Nancy Schlesinger, the managing member of 8 to 5 Properties, also has deep, personal ties to the Brass Door. Her family has owned the property for 78 years, after she said her grandfather, Henry “Shorty” Schlesinger, won it in a poker game.

In a statement, Schlesinger’s company said it recognizes that this news “may be unwelcome and unexpected” but that it plans to “fully honor the history and legacy of the property.” Her grandfather initially opened the restaurant as the 20-seat 8/5 Club in 1946. In 1955, his son, Mick Schlesinger, partnered with Dick Basso to re-imagine it as the Brass Door, featuring a distinctive shiny front entrance, and serving steaks, prime rib and other fine-dining classics.

A sign welcomes visitors outside The Brass Door in San Ramon, Calif., on Thursday, Dec.11, 2025. The restaurant is closing after 70 years in business. The final day of operation will be on December 24th, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) — A sign welcomes visitors outside The Brass Door in San Ramon. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Neither Azad nor Schlesinger would comment on specifics of the dispute. But a lawsuit and a counter-complaint filed in Contra Costa County Superior Court indicates the dispute has been brewing for years, with allegations of unpaid rent, missing maintenance and pandemic-era woes.

Whatever the reasons for the dispute, Juan Chavez of Concord will be without a job after Christmas Eve — like all the other employees. Chavez was 16 when he began working there as a busser 35 years ago. One of his regular duties was to polish the front door. He became tearful when he talked about how the owners treated him “like a son.” He also said, “I made a lot of friends with patrons, and I feel lot of pain leaving that behind.”

Schlesinger said her company has begun to explore “new opportunities,” for one of San Ramon’s oldest and most beloved establishments, suggesting that the Brass Door could reopen with new owners. But Schlesinger and her attorney wouldn’t comment on whether employees might find work again at a reopened Brass Door.

Azad’s Facebook announcement spurred a rush in reservations and customers sharing memories about anniversaries or senior prom dinners spent there. Through the 1960s, ’70s and even into the ’80s, the Brass Door was one of the few fine dining restaurants east of the Caldecott Tunnel, before San Ramon was filled with housing developments, Bishop Ranch office park and 86,000 people.

Contra Costa Times

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