Best Business Restaurant: Stark’s Steak & Seafood

Starks Steak & Seafood

Stark’s is operated by husband-and-wife team Mark and Terri Stark. The restaurant is located at 521 Adams St., in Santa Rosa’s historic Railroad Square, and housed in the oldest, freestanding, continuously operating restaurant building in the city, having been built in 1934. On New Year’s Eve 2008, Stark’s Steak & Seafood finally opened its doors—just as the recession was about to hit. “So that was the beginning of it,” says Terri. “But we survived and then made it through somehow…and that’s where our famous [Stork’s Club] happy hour came about.” Happy hour at the restaurant occurs from 3 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.The restaurant is no stranger to winning awards for its superb food and for the ambience that the restaurant permeates, leaving a lasting impression on anyone who steps inside. Receiving NorthBay biz’s honor as 2023’s Best Restaurant for Conducting Business isn’t the first time Stark’s has been recognized—it previously won the same award in 2011. “I think it’s amazing,” Terri says. “We’re very honored!”

So what is Stark’s secret to providing a great dining experience? Terri explains that it’s the consistency the restaurant provides. “I think that we provide a very consistent experience and I think getting through the pandemic and making [it] to the other side has just proven that we have some staying power and people are liking what we’re doing.”

Holly Hansen, who handles Stark’s public relations and outreach, says the restaurant’s familiarity in the community is key. “It is seen as the ‘go to’ place among business people in this area,” Hansen says. Hansen adds that the restaurant is also conveniently located to a number of other business centers and provides a number of different environments to conduct business in.

Along with Stark’s Steak & Seafood restaurant, the Starks own six other restaurants throughout Sonoma County, including Grossman’s Noshery & Bar, Monti’s, Willi’s Seafood & Raw Bar, Brava’s Bar de Tapas, Bird & The Bottle and Willi’s Wine Bar—with a seventh restaurant scheduled to open this summer called Augie’s French. With seven restaurants to manage and run, how do the Starks ever find time to relax? Terri says they have amazing managers, as well as an executive team that they’ve developed over the years. “We’re in our 21^st year of doing business in the greater Santa Rosa and Sonoma County area,” says Terri. “So we’ve got great managers and an executive team, and 425 o

ther employees who allow us some breathing room.”

Starkrestaurants.com