Newbury Park restaurant changes owners
By Michelle Knight
knight@theacorn.com

BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers NEW OWNER--Francois Zanni, Jr., left, is selling Le Rendez-Vous Restaurant in Newbury Park to John Gress. The two men are all smiles as they work cooperatively during a change of ownership.

For the last 10 years Agoura Hills residents Don and Joan Taylor have driven a dozen or so miles west several times a week to eat at Le Rendez-Vous Restaurant in Newbury Park.

Ever since Joan suffered a stroke, the couple has made the restaurant their favorite.

"Le Rendez-Vous has sort of been our kitchen," said Don Taylor. The owner, Francois Zanni, treats the Taylors like family, he said.

The rest of Zanni’s customers probably agree. The restaurant has been popular ever since Francois Zanni, Sr. opened its doors 31 years ago.

Francois, Jr. comes from a long line of restaurateurs, beginning with his great grandparents who opened their first restaurant in Evian, France.

But now Zanni is handing his eatery to John Gress, a Newbury Park resident who’s excited about owning a restaurant for the first time. Gress is no novice; he’s worked for many years in the food and beverage industry.

Although escrow is expected to close this summer, several changes have already taken place. A lunch menu was added in March, and last month a jazz duo began performing on Wednesday evenings.

Gress is planning more changes. He’s visited with customers and listened to their opinions, he said. The menu will eventually change to include seafood dishes from around the world. But for now, it will stay the same.

Francois and his family have done such a tremendous job with the restaurant, Gress said, that it would be a mistake to make big changes.

"They’ve done such a great job that I can’t top it," said Gress.

After escrow closes, Zanni will join his wife and two children in France. They’ve been living there since late last year.

Connoisseurs of French cuisine aren’t the only ones who’ll miss the Zanni family. The Zanni children attended Banyan Elementary School, and Francois and his wife, Danielle, were among the school’s biggest supporters, often donating hundreds of dollars in beverages to school fundraisers.

Will the Zannis ever return to Newbury Park? It’s unlikely.

"It’s too crazy around here for me," said Zanni, who’s a 1984 Newbury Park High School graduate. "It’s time for someplace quieter. That’s what I’m looking for."