Palo Alto: After 30 years, Mike’s Diner Bar closes for good

Telling customers it’s time for a new chapter in his life, the owner of midtown Palo Alto’s popular Mike’s Diner Cafe closed the restaurant at the end of service on Father’s Day.

“This has been the most difficult decision of my long restaurant career,” Mike Wallau said in a statement, “but after 30 years running various Mike’s eateries, it’s time for me to change direction, focus on my family, and grow my restaurant consulting business.”

The news comes less than a year after Wallau, with the support of neighbors, prevailed in an eviction battle.

The restaurant had been embroiled in mediation efforts with the property owner, Scher Holdings LLC, after Wallau paid rent one day late in mid-July, a delay caused by a family medical emergency. The eviction notice was to have taken effect, Sept. 11, 2023, but on Sept. 8, Wallau reached an agreement with the property owners to continue to operate the restaurant.

The outpouring of community support was a key factor, he said at the time. A petition urging the Palo Alto City Council to help the restaurant stay open gathered more than 1,450 signatures.

Over the years, Wallau had also owned two other restaurants, Mike’s Cafe Menlo Park and Portola Kitchen.

Before the shutdown, he said he has arranged for another family-oriented restaurant group to take over the space. Details will be released soon.

“I want to thank all my customers, supporters, staff, friends, and family for their patronage, loyalty, and all the great times we’ve shared,” he said in his closing. “The sun may be setting on Mike’s Diner Bar, but it’s a fresh start for a new Midtown restaurant, and a new dawn for me.”

Details: 2680 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto.