When The Meatery opened in Seaside in 2018, it was both a food event and a neighborhood event. People thronged to the much-anticipated butcher shop and deli. It was both an old-timey throwback to the days of neighborhood butcher shops, and also a leading example of the future of meat eating, showing what ethical meat could look like.
Now, just a little more than three years later, the business has been sold by owners Gina Nucci and Kevin Hincks to new owners. The store's last day in business will be Sunday, Aug. 22 before they close to complete cleaning and inventory.
"It was a tough decision to make, but something [Nucci and Hincks] made the decision to do," says consultant Mary Wright-Rana. She expects the new owners—yet to be identified, pending paperwork—will reopen the store in some capacity, but she does not expect exactly the same format as today, with a well stocked butcher counter, sandwich menu and additional offerings of sides like salads, olives and pickles, plus rubs, spices and olives oils.
"The new owners are well equipped to continue our short, but sweet, legacy in the Monterey Peninsula food scene," Nucci and Hincks wrote in an announcement about the deal.
"We're excited for the new people to come on and continue what we've been doing, and also kind of relieved too," Nucci says, "because it's been a labor of love."
She's referring to losing their substantial catering business during the pandemic shutdown, as well as staffing challenges upon reopening. "It's a very difficult business to be in."
The store will keep its regular hours (11am-6pm Wednesday-Sunday) until its last day, Aug. 22, and is offering 10-percent off on non-perishable items, including wine.