Longtime customers of the Fox and Goose Public House may soon enjoy brunch outside for the first time in its 36 years of business, courtesy of Allyson Dalton, owner of the pub, who said she practically grew up in the building.

A project to expand the loading dock in front of the W.P. Fuller building, which houses the pub and several other businesses, will soon yield an additional 46 seats on an outdoor patio, complete with new railing, lighting and tables for two or four.

“It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, but I didn’t own the building,” she said.

Dalton, who recently acquired ownership of the Fuller building in June, purchased the business from her parents in 1995 and carries on the traditional pub that her parents began when they opened it in 1975.

“It’s one of the best places to go in Sacramento, but the only thing we lack is outdoor dining,” said Dalton said, adding that the outdoor dining established at R Street between 14th and 15th streets brought a vibrancy to the area which she would like to bring to the pub.

“(Sacramento) is so conducive to enjoying a beer on the patio,” she said.

For the past six years, Dalton has been working with the Capitol Area Development Authority and the city of Sacramento to ensure that her project would be done in conjunction with the R Street Improvement Project.

The R Street Improvement Project began last Fall and is geared toward enhancing R Street between 10th and 13th streets. The project includes the addition of paved curbs and sidewalks, designated on-street parking, and street lighting.

As for the outdoor patio to compliment the new streetscape - the entire railing and frontside of the dock will be redone, Dalton said, with the addition of lighting along the entire front of the building, creating an “industrial feel.”

Initially, Dalton had planned to extend the dock about 4 feet toward the street, which would have been implemented once the city had taken out the concrete in front of the pub.

The extension has been met with several hurdles, however, and some changes have been made to the initial plan.

The project, which Dalton estimates to cost over $100,000, will no longer include a 4 foot extension of the dock towards the street, but will still extend from the West edge of the Fuller building eastward toward the the center of the building dock, ending just before the middle stairwell and ADA ramp.

Graphic of the proposed outdoor seating area at Fox and Goose Public House (Image by: courtesy of Marvin Maldonado)

All tables on the patio will be railside, to allow room for a walkway, seating a total of 40 to 46 persons on the deck. The total length of the patio will be 129 feet with 8 feet of width.

The elevated dining area and new streetscape will create a great atmosphere for the previously industrial district, Dalton said.

Planning for the dock expansion began back in February when a price was decided on for the Fuller Building, Dalton said, but the project had to wait a few more months before anything could be set into place. The building was previously owned by Fred David of David Candy Co. who passed away in 2009.

Dalton explained that she had much emotional attachment not only to the restaurant but to the building itself, adding that David was really more like a grandfather to her.

“It’s not just a commercial endeavor,” she said, “I have an opportunity to develop this area the best I can - it’s good for Sacramento, for the area and for the building.”

Dalton said the largest hurdle came from SMUD who was concerned with the expansion of the docks overtaking the manhole covers, allowing access to the high voltage line in front of the loading dock area. Dalton has settled to keep the dock at its current 8 feet width, but said she may revisit it later for future expansion.

“The project has been morphing all along but the final project is even more better than what I had expected,” Dalton said, adding that the city has been very responsive and helpful most of the way.

“We have done everything possible in order to ensure the success of all businesses within the corridor,” said Zuhair Amawi, project coordinator for the R street Improvement Project, which for Dalton included providing feedback to her plans and incorporating her design into the city’s streetscape plan to avoid any clashes.

The other businesses in the Fuller Building will remain in their places, and many business owners are excited about the upcoming improvements to both the R Street Corridor and the front of the building.

“I’m extremely excited about the expansion and what it’s going to bring to the whole block,” said Robert Andersen, owner of the Solomon Dubnick Gallery, one of the multiple businesses inside of the building.

Andersen said the gallery has only been at its current location, inside the Fuller Building, since August, but the recent improvements to the building and the corridor should bring more attention to all businesses within the area. The gallery was previously located at 1017 25th st, in Midtown, before it was sold to Andersen by former owner, Michael Solomon.

“I think it will give us more visibility,” said Linda Uruquhart, owner of Rumpelstiltskin, a yarn store inside the building.

Uruquhart said the store has been in the same spot for 38 years, and agrees that the addition of an outdoor patio at the pub will bring more attention to the smaller businesses inside and to their end of the corridor.

“We’ve always been an alley with potholes,” she said. “I think it will make this corner more visible and connect everything up (within the corridor) now.”

Dalton said the change to the front of the building will be a support to the businesses within the building as well as to the restaurant, hoping that it will bring more people to the building and the other shops. The greatest thing she hopes for is that the expansion maintains the character of the Fox and Goose.

“The Fuller building has so much character and atmosphere built into it already, and I feel really honored and privileged to be the steward of the building,” she said.

Dalton finalized a deal with R.C. Pacific Construction, Inc. Thursday, and said she hopes to see construction begin in the next couple of weeks. Completion of the dock expansion area is projected for another four weeks after that.

Future plans of expansion are on her agenda also, most of which she labels as “back of the house expansion” which include additional manager’s offices, a larger break room for employees, new refrigeration and storage, new bathrooms for the restaurant, and an expansion of the kitchen.

Also on Dalton’s expansion list is a private dining room which will seat about 50 persons, and an event hall with a stage - both of which will be added into the vacant space in the building where David’s Candy Co. used to be.

To celebrate the completion of both the outdoor seating area and the new streetscape, Dalton said she will be hosting the R Street Corridor unveiling party at the restaurant and soon-to-be event hall in late November or early December.