Iconic Antioch restaurant Mac’s Old House to hold Grand Opening Saturday, Aug. 15
Under new ownership and management; renovated 101-year-old building, kept same menu
“A labor of love. I did this for my grandchildren,” – co-owner, Joe Martinez
“This is an opportunity for Jamie and me to get one of the last historic places in Antioch,” – co-owner Ron Harrison
By Allen D. Payton
After closing in June 2025 and following the purchase late last year and renovations this year, the new owners and operators of Mac’s Old House will hold a Grand Opening of Antioch’s iconic restaurant Saturday, August 15 at 4:00 p.m. The new owners are Ron and Jamie Harrison and Joe and Desiree Martinez. Sheri Vallero, who also runs Mel’s Diner in Antioch, and daughter, Terriane Reed and son, Roger Born, are the operators.
Locally famous for their dine-in, family-style prime rib and pasta dinners, “The story of Mac’s stretches back to 1925 when Floyd ‘Mac’ McKinney built the house with his father. In 1956 he began to operate a bar out of a converted part of the home. He operated it for 17 years before selling it and retiring,” according to a report by onlyinyourstate.com. “The restaurant changed hands a few times after Mac, but (the previous) owner bought it in 1983.”
During a soft opening dinner for friends on Tuesday, Aug. 4, Ron and Joe shared their thoughts and excitement about the restaurant.
“Joe and I are friends, and I work with him a lot,” Ron Harrison said. “We started talking about it and said, ‘why don’t we buy it?’ To us it’s an historical place.”
Harrison’s other business partner, “Sean (McCauley) and I have so many places out here. This is an opportunity for Jamie and me to get one of the last historic places in Antioch,” he continued.
“We lease the restaurant to Sheri and required her to keep the same name and menu,” Harrison stated. “We added 15 feet to the back for a bigger kitchen. More parking stalls. Two new beautiful bathrooms.”
“We got all the smoke off the walls and added all new lighting picked out by Desiree,” he shared. “We kept the bar. We wrapped all the beams. We tried to keep it as original as possible. The building is 101 years old.”
“We worked with the City staff and leaned on them as much as possible,” Harrison added.
“This is my first venture together with Ron,” Martinez said. “I bought the property and brought Ron in. I knew I wanted this project. I met with (former owners) Gary and Sue Noe and worked things out.”
“Starting in November I’ve been working on this every day since. A labor of love. It turned out good,” he continued. “We did a complete restoration. I told Gary and Sue, my goal is to honor the legacy of Mac and the family and continue it.”
“I put my heart, soul and love into it,” Martinez shared. “My wife and I picked out all the finishes.”
“The plan is to keep it for the next 40 years, the next generation,” he stated. “Nobody else was going to do it with all the cost involved. I put in my sweat equity. Ron took care of all the City stuff and laid out the plumbing and kitchen. I did all the construction. I’m happy it’s done.”
“I did this for my grandchildren as a family trust,” Martinez added.
See a video by the Harrisons showing a tour of the restaurant and announcing the Grand Opening, here.
For now, the restaurant is open daily for dinner from 4:00 – 10:00 p.m. Beginning Monday, Aug. 17, Mac’s will open for lunch from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They now accept debit and credit cards for payment.
The restaurant is located at 3100 E. 18th Street in Antioch. For more information visit them on Facebook and Instagram.
the attachments to this post:
Mac’s Old House outside & Mac drawing 080426
Mac’s Old House bar 080426
Mac’s Old House prime rib & pasta
Mac’s Old House Joe Martinez & friends 080426
Mac’s Old House Harrisons Sheri & Roger 080426
Mac’s Old House outside 080426
Mac’s Old House logo & Grand Opening 081526
