Toma Changes Hands, Not Direction

The essential news is that there is no news — while Tom and Vicki Dolan have sold their beloved Toma Restaurant & Bar, new owners Sam Grant and Julian Sanders insist, “We’re keeping Toma [as] Toma, and then we will build from there.” That means the Foodie Award-winning spot will still be serving up those tuna cones and fresh squid ink pasta.

Both Grant and Sanders realize, though, that Toma is more than its menu. “The place has such great bones, and its history means so much,” Sanders explains. “There are regulars who had their rehearsal dinner here thirty years ago [when the building housed Emilio’s] and they still come in excited about carrying the tradition on.”

Grant and Sanders have been picking up on the ins and outs of those traditions since December, excited to learn directly from the Dolans as they waited for escrow to close. “We know it’s all about building relationships,” Grant stresses. “What table does one group like, what are their favorite drinks. We’re lucky that most of the staff already does that so well.”