When Ruby Room announced its permanent closure on Dec. 6, fans of the popular dive bar flocked to social media to share stories about what made it special. “The wildest time with the best people,” one person commented. “Where will I go when when I visit home each summer that has both an acceptable amount of daylight exposure AND maraschino cherries?” another posted on Instagram.
But it wasn’t a forever farewell. To pursue potential buyers, current owners Alfredo Botello, Trevor Latham, and Tim Tolle had to open the bar at least once a week to keep the liquor license active and pursue potential buyers. In early January, Botello launched Ruby Fridays.
Shortly after Ruby Room’s final bash on New Year’s Eve, Botello said he was approached by Dawit Kidane and his wife Gibtsawit Abraha, owners of Blue Nile, an Ethiopian restaurant about a block from the bar, who wanted to buy the bar.
Kidane and Abraha opened Blue Nile as a family-owned-and-operated restaurant in 2018. For the couple, investing in keeping a legacy establishment like Ruby Room active in the community made sense.
“My vision is to keep it the same. I’m not changing anything,” Kidaee told The Oaklandside. “It’s sad that a lot of places are closing around here.”
Kidane grew up in Fresno and moved to Oakland in 2011. He and his wife are raising three kids in Oakland and will soon handle the restaurant and the bar.
The couple has already hired several former employees, and a family member will help as a bartender on the weekend. They also did not seek out investors to purchase the bar, using their savings instead.
Kidane said purchasing the bar, much like when he first opened Blue Nile, is about “taking chances.”
The stretch on 14th Street where Blue Nile, Ruby Room, and the Oakland Public Library main branch are located has changed throughout the years, with less foot traffic since the pandemic, according to Kidane, and crowds gathering in front of shuttered businesses along the street. Pre-pandemic, Kidane said, there was much more foot traffic during the lunch rush, which carried into the dinner hour.
Despite the risk in their investment, the couple is excited to continue building community in Oakland and welcome back Ruby Room patrons who thought they had seen the last of the bar’s crimson-hued interior and cheap drinks.
“Everybody is welcome,” Kidane said. “We are just trying to grow and be successful business owners.”
The Ruby Room will open one last time under the stewardship of Alfredo Botello, Trevor Latham, and Tim Tolle for Ruby Fridays on Feb. 23. The bar will reopen under the new ownership on Thursday, March 1. It will be open every day from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Correction: Blue Nile is an Ethiopian restaurant.
