In the last week of September, Lloyd McLenithan was still taking reservations the old way, writing names on a yellow legal notepad. Noozhawk reported that he paged through it and wished he could fit in everyone who wanted one more dinner. Clementine's Steak House served its last meal on Sunday, October 4. That was also the last day of the California Avocado Festival, when the city had Linden Avenue closed from Carpinteria Avenue to Sixth Street. Most of town was a few blocks away eating guacamole. Inside the blue restaurant at 4631 Carpinteria Ave., every seat was booked.
The restaurants on Carpinteria Avenue tend to change when a property sells or a lease runs out. Changing tastes have less to do with it. Clementine's, the Giovanni's Pizza move and the Ojai Rôtie arrival all follow that pattern. So does the next big change on the avenue, which is the street itself.
The sale came first. The goodbye came two years later.
Clementine's opened in 1976. The McLenithan family's time there started on April 30, 1982, when Lloyd's mother, Irene, took over the restaurant on her 52nd birthday. Lloyd ran it for the next 45 years. The City Council made it official at its October 12 meeting, when it passed a proclamation thanking the family and staff.
The family never owned the building. Lloyd McLenithan told Coastal View News that the building and the land had sold, and that his family always knew this chapter would end someday because they didn't own the property. He told Noozhawk that the new owners gave the restaurant two more years. He said he had no hard feelings and was grateful for the extra time.
That means the date of the last pie was set about two years ago, when the property sold. October 4 just showed up when it was due.
Nobody has said publicly what comes next at 4631. McLenithan told Noozhawk he didn't know what would happen to the building after he closed. No buyer has been named, and there's no announced plan for the site.
Three addresses, one pattern
Clementine's was the latest move on a stretch of Carpinteria Avenue where restaurants have been changing places since early 2024. Each move started with a lease or a sale:
| Address | Before | Now | What set it in motion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4631 Carpinteria Ave. | Clementine's Steak House, since 1976 | Closed October 4, 2026; next use not announced | Property sold; new owners gave the restaurant two years |
| 5003 Carpinteria Ave. | Giovanni's Pizza, until April 2024 | Ojai Rôtie, second location | Giovanni's moved to a new space on a long lease |
| 5205 Carpinteria Ave. | The Good Plow, earlier a Fosters Freeze | Giovanni's Pizza, since spring 2024 | The Good Plow closed after three years; Giovanni's signed an 18-year lease |
Giovanni's is the clearest example. Coastal View News reported that the pizzeria signed an 18-year lease at 5205 Carpinteria Ave., the old Fosters Freeze building, after The Good Plow's three years there. According to The Restaurant Guy, Giovanni's served its last meal at 5003 on April 29, 2024. Owner Shawn Noormand said afterward that the restaurant didn't close for a single day during the move.
If that 18-year term began with the spring 2024 move, it would run into the early 2040s.
The space it left at 5003 waited almost two years for its next tenant to be announced.
Where the rotisserie lands
In February 2026, The Restaurant Guy reported that Ojai Rôtie would take over 5003 Carpinteria Ave., the old Giovanni's space. The original restaurant is at 469 E. Ojai Ave. It's known for rotisserie chicken by the quarter, half or whole, with Lebanese-influenced sides like tabbouleh and rotisserie potatoes, plus sandwiches and dips.
The restaurant's own announcement says the Carpinteria space is bigger than the one in Ojai. It has 40 seats inside and 80 more in a dog-friendly garden with a ranch fence, lemon and olive trees, bougainvillea and string lights. The menu will include its handmade sourdough and the Winebox.
The opening date has moved more than once. In late January, Noozhawk reported a spring opening. The restaurant's later announcement said "this fall." As of late October, the Ojai Rôtie homepage says "Now serving Ojai and Carpinteria" and lists 5003 Carpinteria Avenue. The Carpinteria location page still says "Coming Soon." Before you plan a dinner around that garden, check the restaurant's Instagram or order page. The hours on the homepage don't say which location they're for.
Opening a bigger space takes longer, and the move from Giovanni's to Ojai Rôtie took about two years. Still, the rotisserie is landing on the same stretch of avenue that just lost its steakhouse.
The next big change is the street itself
The avenue's oldest piece is not a restaurant. It's the Carpinteria Avenue bridge over Carpinteria Creek, built in 1937, and its replacement is now on the schedule.
At the September 14 council meeting, Interim Public Works Director Gerald Comati said most of the utility relocations that had held up the project were done or would be done by the end of the year. Coastal View News quoted him: "We'll start construction in May or June of next year." He put completion at January or February 2029.
Here's what the new bridge adds, according to that report:
- About 11 more feet of width on the north side
- Two vehicle lanes, plus a center median and turn lane
- Bike lanes and 8-foot sidewalks
- Three spans instead of six, so fewer columns stand in the creek
- About 2 more feet of height at the middle, for more clearance during major storms
The sidewalks matter to anyone who walks between the shops on either side of the creek. That includes people using a cane or walker, or pushing a stroller.
The schedule depends on funding. The federal Highway Bridge Program reimburses 88.53% of eligible costs, and the city covers the remaining 11.47%. About $14 million in construction money is authorized so far. The engineer's estimate is about $20 million, and Comati said the total could reach $22 million. His plan is to take bids, award a contract and then ask for supplemental federal funding. He said that in his experience, Caltrans has always covered the gap.
Work under the pavement has already started. On the nights of October 12 to 15, crews put in pipeline for the Carpinteria Advanced Purification Project on Carpinteria Avenue between Maple Avenue and Eugenia Place. They worked from 8:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., and daytime paving was scheduled for October 19 and 20. The project will put purified recycled water back into the groundwater basin. That gives the valley a local drinking water supply that holds up better in droughts. Details are on the Carpinteria Valley Water District's project page.
Reading the avenue's calendar
Each change in this story was set in motion well before it reached the street. The Clementine's sale started a two-year countdown. Giovanni's 18-year lease ties that address to the pizzeria for a long time to come. The bridge got its start date once the utility work was nearly done. Its finish date depends on a federal funding request that hasn't been filed yet.
The next steps are just as public. Ojai Rôtie's own pages will show when the 5003 garden is open. The bridge contract has to go out to bid before next summer's construction start. City Council meeting agendas, with ways to send in public comments, are posted on the City of Carpinteria agendas page. One smaller project is already in review. In October, the City took a preliminary look at a redesign of the central trellis area at Shepard Place Shops. The plan swaps the big planter for outdoor seating with smaller planters and adds ramps and accessibility improvements.
The building at 4631 Carpinteria Ave. is empty for now. No plan for the site has been announced.
When a favorite local place closes, it can bring up bigger questions about home, timing and what comes next, for you or for a parent who has lived here for decades. Terri Dimond's free seminars at All About Seniors give families a calm, no-pressure place to start those conversations in your own time. Attend a Free Senior Seminar.
