Bay Area Italian restaurant frequented by Steve Jobs to close after 36 years

"A Palo Alto Italian restaurant once known as a favorite meeting place for Steve Jobs and other tech executives is closing after 36 years, as first reported by Palo Alto Weekly. Il Fornaio, located in the el PRADO Hotel at 520 Cowper St., is set to serve its final rigatoni alla vodka and wood-fired pizzas on Sunday, Jan. 18. The storied restaurant first opened in 1989, mere days before the Loma Prieta earthquake."

"The timing was fortuitous, according to restaurateur Michael Mindel, who worked for Il Fornaio for 27 years (although he is no longer involved with the company). Michael is the son of Larry Mindel, the man who took over Il Fornaio in 1986 and turned it into a successful chain with restaurants and bakeries across the West Coast."

"According to a Wall Street Journal article from 2007, Il Fornaio was a go-to "venue for deal making" for patrons like Steve Jobs, a regular who always sat in the backroom and ordered "pizza sans cheese." "Though not necessarily a staff favorite - he could be prickly and tight with a buck, not to mention his deodorant - he always sat in booth 57," reads Larry Mindel's memoir, "Lorenzo!""

"Other tech titans who visited the restaurant included Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg, restaurant servers told Palo Alto Weekly. "In those days, it was a really scrappy startup environment, and you had all of these people who were kind of inventing Silicon Valley," Mindel said."

Il Fornaio in Palo Alto will close after 36 years, with its final service on Sunday, Jan. 18. The restaurant opened in 1989 just days before the Loma Prieta earthquake and became a regional destination as people sought dining options outside San Francisco. Restaurateur Michael Mindel worked there for 27 years; his father, Larry Mindel, expanded Il Fornaio into a successful West Coast chain. The restaurant served as a meeting place for Silicon Valley figures, with Steve Jobs a noted regular who often sat in the backroom and ordered pizza without cheese. Other visitors included Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg.

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