This article features several stories from some of you who've received high upvotes. Thought you'd enjoy, especially if at least some customers back off doing any 1 of these 11 things.
The Folsom location is the latest Mimi's Cafe closing in the greater Sacramento region. Only one remains now in Elk Grove.
It's not known yet what will become of this property on E. Bidwell. Others in the area became a Korean BBQ and sushi buffet, a Brazilian steakhouse, and an Olive Garden.
It's now 8/17/26 Monday at 11AM ET. Same time next week, 2026 Pasta Passes activate, and NEPB 2026 access begins for eClub members.
In past years OG had a Never Ending Pasta Bowl Countdown Clock. Its digits 0-9 were made out of pasta. Wish it was active now. (Photo below in Reply section.)
Most combinations offered were 378 during the NEPB 20th Anniversary in 2015. This year it's 120 with 4 Pastas, 6 Sauces and 4 optional Toppings.
7 days!
🍝🍝🍝🍝
Thought this would be of interest since some of you like heading down to Lodi for their wines and proximity to Sacramento.
Heritage Oak Winery will be closing in December after many years of selling grapes and running their own operations too. Owner encourages wine lovers to specifically look for and buy California labels to help remaining wineries.
Was stunned to read this, how the downturn in wine has affected all levels, including those who make twist cap tops for wine bottles.
Article speaks of layoffs at a plant in Modesto only in their wine division, other observations and related happenings in the wine industry. Also covers generational differences towards wine and alcohol consumption.
Area described is the portion of East Sacramento bounded by 48th St to 59th St and J St to Folsom Blvd. Signs reading "Little Italy" now seen at some intersections.
1-minute video has more details, including Italian-American heritage dating back to the Gold Rush.
As this article contends, the real payoffs and tests will come AFTER the Pasta Pass period is over. Will those 10,000+ winners come back regularly and order entrees at Olive Garden, especially at full price?
In addition to something as exclusive as a Pasta Pass, what about other ways of luring and keeping customers? Some companies have a tiered loyalty system. They have the die-hard fans and the frequent and occasional.
Like this article also points out, while 10,000+ people did score, others didn't. They speak of restaurant settings where the dining went wrong with a poorly prepared dish. Or the food was great, yet the waiter was rude. The customer feels burned. It's similar to how some experienced errors and glitches with the Pasta Pass contest as reported here and on other social media.
What could be done that's right by them vs. losing them?
Over the last few days August 7 & 8, Scavenger Hunts have taken place for Pasta Passes. Might more be planned?
The thought was repeatedly expressed: instead of only giving Pasta Passes to influencers, what about everyday people?
So in Las Vegas, Orlando and Los Angeles, influencers were instructed to spread and hide 5 Pasta Passes each throughout their cities. They took videos and posted them as Instagram reels/stories showing where they were hidden. First come, first serve.
There may have been other cities, there may be more planned. Something to be aware of, possibly appearing in your Instagram feeds if you do anything OG related there.
La Superior Mercado at 4940 Stockton Blvd is closed due to burglary and arson. This took place Friday 8/7/26.
This is normally a really convenient location along Stockton Blvd to combine other grocery shopping, especially if you're into enjoying and preparing meals of different cultures. The stretch from here by 21st Ave to 65th St offers a lot, very affordable.
Hopefully they reopen soon as they restock inventory.
While the Gann Fire is 50 miles from Folsom, smoke is visible and affecting air quality here. More helicopter activity may be seen too for firefighting efforts.
Other news sources report the Gann Fire has expanded last night to 6,500 acres and this to morning 7,052 acres. It is located by Valley Springs in Calaveras County.
Since every so often requests for gyms in Folsom are made here, add F45 to the list.
Is at E. Bidwell & Blue Ravine, same corner as Dick's Sporting Goods and CVS. And Handel's Ice Cream.
Folsom's F10 bus route is seen among SacRT's present list noontime of 57 Bus Trip Cancellations (BTC's.) These will last today for quite a stretch, over 7 hours.
Folsom has rather limited bus service with F10 normally running every 60 minutes. These cancelled runs could mean up to a 2-hour wait. That's really arduous in this heat.
Some have suggested these BTC's are a result of operators getting reassigned to drive Bus Bridge shuttles. These cover a segment of Blue Line light rail stations being modified for new trains as seen on Gold Line now.
The station modifications are scheduled to go on until August 15. To see if you're affected from now until then by BTC's, visit https://sacrt.com/alerts
Alder Creek was a topic here a few weeks ago, just heard about this.
Parking meters citywide changed July 1 to ending enforcement at 10PM. Unfortunately, several were surprised by $77 tickets thinking it was 6PM.This includes 10 customers at the Sacramento Comedy Spot in Lavender Heights.
Midtown businesses are worried this'll hurt them if outraged customers don't return. They took their concerns to Sacramento City Council.
Signs out there are confusing and unclear. Kiosks to pay aren't all clearly visible.
While the city is going to relax enforcement a little until they improve the situation, be mindful of parking meter times.
If you're thinking of heading west to beat the Sacramento heat next 4 days, do keep in mind stronger than usual coastal conditions.
"Sneaker waves and strong rip currents are possible for the next several days," as stated in the article. Other sources say these are caused by Pacific tropical storm Fausto and Hurricane Genevieve.
This received much attention recently when a 10-year old boy was playing by Seabright State Beach and got suddenly swept away by ocean currents. A Santa Cruz lifeguard rescued him.
So if you're going to the coast to cool off, be careful.
Apparently some older apartment buildings seen in parts of Rancho Cordova still have gas stoves. It appears the woman described here left hers on and passed away.
Something to be mindful of for those of you with gas stoves.
Posting this since every so often requests appear for County Fairs. This one is ~1 hour east of Sacramento using US50 or State Road 16 to State Road 49.
Amador County Fair in Plymouth runs for 4 days starting today 7/30/26 - Sunday 8/2/26.
Most importantly, this year's theme is "More Cowbell!"
Occurred 7/25/26 Saturday morning 3AM. Story updated Saturday night.
OG at IG has Saucy Secrets!
| Year | # Sold | Duration | Variations | Added Perks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1,000 | 7 wk | Coca Cola drinks,To Go 2x/day | |
| 2015 | 1,000 | 7 wk | 1,000 Family, $300 | Coca Cola drinks,To Go 2x/day |
| 2016 | 21,000 | 7 wk | | Coca Cola drinks |
| 2017 | 22,000 | 7 wk | 50 Italy trips, $200 | |
| 2018 | 23,000 | 8 wk | 1,000 Annual, $300 | |
| 2019 | 24,000 | 9 wk | 50 Lifetime, $500 | |
| 2020-2025 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2026 | 10,000 | 13 wk |
_____________________________________
Created with the Reddit table tool for archival and at-a-glance purposes.
All Pasta Passes priced at $100 unless otherwise stated.
Switched to Dine-In Only starting 2016. Previous To Go was 1 full-size bowl, salad or soup, 2 breadsticks.