Patrick David’s Joins Danville Area Sustainable Business Program

As the weather gets colder, locals are looking for a nice, warm place to share pleasant conversation over a good meal or drinks.

Whether it’s a business lunch, drinks with friends, or dinner with family, locals need look no further than Patrick David’s, the most recent local business to join the Danville Area Sustainable Business program.

When new owners, Al Sisto and Dana Dornsife, also president of the Lazarex Cancer Foundation in Danville, took over Patrick David’s they wanted to make some changes to both the menu and look of the restaurant. Part of the makeover included switching the menu to American Bistro; going with more affordable, high quality comfort food, and putting a strong emphasis on sustainability. “[Sustainability] was a conscious effort, when we took over and could make changes,” says Jennifer Boehrer, general manager.

“It speaks to the quality of the food that we deliver, as well as presenting a commitment to providing a reasonable set of products to our customers that are sustainable,” adds Sisto. “Your to-go boxes -- everything -- is from some aspect of sustainability. We do compost all the food products it doesn’t get thrown into the trash.”

“We wanted to take a more holistic approach, only using sustainable products in the restaurant from paper goods to the food. That’s substantially different from where we were before,” explains Sisto. “If you have a drink at the bar, it’s all natural fruit, no syrups.”

Because sustainability is such a large part of Patrick David’s mission, Sisto said that the menu is often affected by the seasonal availability of foods from local vendors. He explains, however, that the food has a lot more flavor because it’s in season. “All the produce is local,” he says. “The majority, if not all, of our proteins are local as well.”

The commitment to sustainability also carries over to the restaurant’s full-service catering and event planning. “If we are planning a few months out for a wedding during the summer, we have to take that into account as well. What will be in season?” explains Brittney Boehrer, director of events.

 “All our catering is prepared on site, not in our kitchen. You can literally stand there [in people’s kitchens] and watch our chefs prepare the food,” Boehrer says. “We will do absolutely everything from helping you pick a venue, the linens, the flowers. ... We can literally do as much or as little as you need. We can take care of everything under one roof. Stress free.”

In addition to a commitment to sustainability, Patrick David’s also offers its customers a large wine list -- about 30 wines served by the glass. In an effort to get people to try something new, Patrick David’s also provides assistance from servers about which wine goes best with your meal.

“We’re trying to give people in Danville a nice place to come for dinner, but not having it high priced,” says Sisto. “This is a place where you can come and have a great meal, take your time, have great service. We’re not rushing people out. We want it to be a neighborhood place, a neighborhood favorite.”

Just how dedicated is the management team at Patrick David’s to their customers? “We like to have a few of the smaller microbreweries, like Lost Coast, available,” explains Jennifer. “But we also take our customers’ tastes into consideration. We have one regular who asked for Great White and we didn’t have it. Now we keep a few in the fridge so that we are sure to have it available whenever he comes in.”

Have a recommendation for Patrick David’s and how they can improve? Simply fill out their comment cards and hand them to your server. Every comment is read and taken into consideration. “The bottom line, that’s what it’s about, taking care of our customers,” declares Jennifer.

Patrick David’s is located in Danville at 416 Sycamore Valley Road in The Livery, (925) 838-7611.

The Danville Area Sustainable Business program educates and recognizes local businesses working to adopt sustainable practices that strengthen the economy, community and environment. To learn more, visit www.sustainabledanville.com and remember to look for the Danville Area Sustainable Business logo when you shop and eat in Danville.