Business Journal: SMF Hotel, The WorkShop, TaskRabbit, Bennigan's

Plans for a hotel at Sacramento International Airport took a step backward this week. Sacramento County supervisors voted to end an agreement with a Southern California firm called Sonnenblick Development.

The Sacramento Business Journal's Digital Editor Sonya Sorich says the company had trouble coming up with financing for the project.

"Its CEO said the county did nothing wrong, he had a good working relationship with county officials," says Sorich. "Still, he's worried about another economic downturn. It appears that this Southern California firm was the only one that was serious about the project."

Airport officials plan to issue a new request for proposals for the hotel as soon as next month. The airport used to have a hotel ... but it was torn down in 2007 to make way for construction of Terminal B.

Downtown Sacramento is getting yet another new restaurant. Sorich says it's called Bennigan's.

"An Irish-themed chain restaurant from Dallas. It will fill the spaces previously occupied by K Bar and Cafe Bernardo at 10th and K streets," Sorich says. "And it is tentatively scheduled to open on June 5th."

Some people are critical of chain restaurants opening sites in downtown Sacramento. But Bennigan's says it will have local touches, including walls decorated with Sacramento area landmarks. The menu will include salads, sandwiches and bigger entrees like ribs and seafood.

Downtown Sacramento may soon be getting another co-worker space. Sorich says it's called The WorkShop.

"And it's currently in downtown Davis," says Sorich. "But its owner is considering another much larger site in downtown Sacramento. He hasn't settled on a specific location. But he says the new site could be ready later this year."

The new site would operate in addition to the Davis location. Co-working spaces are shared working environments and a departure from the typical office environment. They're used a lot by entrepreneurs and startups. Many co-working spaces host events centered on technology. Hacker Lab is another co-working space at 17th and I streets in midtown Sacramento.

An app that could help people with home-improvement projects has expanded to the Sacramento area. Sorich says it's called TaskRabbit.

"It's part of the gig-economy," says Sorich. "Basically, the app lets its users connect with workers for a variety of job assignments. The app is based in San Francisco and it's available in more than 30 cities."

The service focuses on basic handy-work and hauling. It's available in Sacramento and Yolo counties. Workers set their own hourly rates and schedules. On average, they make about $35 an hour. To make money, the company charges a 30 percent service fee subtracted from the hourly rate.