Popular Heckle tap house pours its last pint

After leaving the industry for several years and returning three years ago with his very own tap house and eatery in Historic Folsom, Matt Garrido has officially closed the doors of the restaurant that was a dream come true, Heckle Alehouse and Eatery is gone. The locally owned establishment, located in The Lakes Center at 705 Gold Lake Drive in Folsom, officially had its last day of being open to the public was Dec. 29 after being announced on the restaurant's Facebook page last week. "We appreciate all of the support that we have gotten from the community, but we simply do not have the volume required to continue going forward," read the announcement. Many comments followed by locals that are sad to see the unique eatery close for good. Heckle was named by Garrido with cycling in mind as the term "heckle," comes from the bike racing world and is a term used to describe when spectators cheer for the riders. Ironically, the new first class bike trail that travels past the eatery didn't bring the volume of cyclists to support the eatery as expected or equal to that of others in the area, such as nearby Karen's Bakery & Café, which is located at the other end of The Lakes Center and draws large crowds daily. Heckle was known for having some 16 different taps daily and dining fare included a variety of items such as in-house barbeque, in-house smoked meats, loaded specialty burgers, salads and more. "Heckle Alehouse has been a wonderful business here in the Historic District," said Judy Collinsworth, executive director of the Folsom Historic District. "Heckle was a sponsor of the ice rink and various district events. They provided an ideal meet up spot for cyclists, beer enthusiasts and families. Matt and his fantastic team at Heckle Alehouse will be sorely missed." Heckle opened it's location previously occupied by ARZ Lebanese which closed when its owner returned to his family overseas suddenly. The closure of Heckle adds another vacancy to The Lakes Center. Next door to the now shuttered Heckle is a vacant restaurant that was formerly Fleur De Lis that closed last year. Body Concepts that faced Gold Lake Drive has also moved to a new location, leaving many choices for incoming businesses to the Historic District in the year ahead. "We want to give a heartfelt thank you to all of you for the out pouring of support that we have had over the past week," reads a follow up statement regarding the closure. "We can't ask for more from any of you. We love hearing all the stories of the great memories that you all have had here." Following the statements and announcements on their social media sites, local residents passed on their wishes and sadness to Garrido and the staff as they heard about the closure of the place that was known as offering a family atmosphere and a place for those to go before they head out for their late night plans in the district. Local business owners also expressed their condolences. "Such a hard business. We all feel the pain of hard work and little payoff," said a message on the post from Jeff Back, co-owner of Back Bistro in the Palladio. "Lots more restaurants will close this next year with the higher minimum wage. Good luck with your next adventure." At this time, it is unknown what the future plans are for the property. Karen's Bakery & Café and Folsom State Slickers will continue to provide visitors to The Lakes and the Lake Natoma Inn with their dining and sipping options. "Let's keep this from happening to other small businesses," Collinsworth added. "Visit, eat and shop Historic Folsom and keep dollars local."