Generations of just-seated children at Mexican restaurants have gotten the same stern warning from their parents: “Don’t fill up on chips! You’ll spoil your dinner.” But at Luna Mexican Kitchen in San Jose, even adults will have a hard time not wolfing down the thick, crisp house-made tortilla chips matched with vibrant red salsa and green...
San Jose franchisees applaud delay in controversial law
Fast-food restaurant owners are breathing easy now that a state law meant to address working conditions among workers is on hold. Efforts to halt AB 257, also known as the FAST Recovery Act, succeeded this month after restaurant and business trade groups submitted more than 712,000 valid voter signatures for a referendum, state officials announced last week. The effort to...
The Biz Beat: San Jose pizzeria unites generations
Founded in 1991, Willow Street Wood-Fired Pizza in San Jose is a successful combination of traditional and trendy, with a friendly atmosphere, quality ingredients and an innovative menu that will please families and foodies alike. Take the Willow Burger. It might seem odd that a hamburger is one of the best-selling items at a pizza place, but...
Silicon Valley’s outdoor dining an obstacle for disabled community
For lifelong San Jose resident Michelle Mashburn, there are parts of the city where she can never go. That includes streets like San Pedro Square or Lincoln Avenue in Willow Glen, where sidewalks and parking spots have been converted for outdoor dining which isn’t wheelchair friendly. “I just avoid it altogether,” Mashburn told San José...
Business leader sees vibrant future for downtown San Jose
From Germany, to the City of Angels, to the Biggest Little City in the World and now to the Heart of Silicon Valley, Alex Stettinski has seen a lot of downtowns, and he thinks he can help fix San Jose’s. The new head of the San Jose Downtown Association has about four months under his...
Tech layoffs won’t hurt downtown San Jose
Recent tech layoffs likely won’t prevent downtown San Jose from becoming a thriving commercial and residential hub. But uncertainty around remote work culture and lengthy timelines for completing major transit and development projects could spell years more struggle for the area and its businesses. Three regional experts said while tech company layoffs have captured big...
San Jose businesses frustrated by homelessness
Reza Farahani immigrated from Iran more than 20 years ago and opened his Lincoln Glass & Mirror business on Kruse Drive in North San Jose. He moved down the block a decade ago when his company expanded, but said in the last two years the surrounding neighborhood has become untenable because of rampant homelessness. Dozens of...
Silicon Valley businesses caught in fast-food law limbo
A landmark state fast-food law to improve worker conditions and wages is stuck in the courts. AB 257, which implements new standards for fast-food workers in California, is temporarily halted as of Friday. The law was supposed to take effect at the start of the year. Also known as the FAST Recovery Act, the law sets...
The Biz Beat: San Jose’s La Barrique is a feast for your eyes—and stomach
Editor’s Note: La Barrique has reopened as Pho Ha Noi Elite and offers a similar menu at the same location. At La Barrique in San Jose’s Little Saigon, you can start your meal with a volcano of flaming bone marrow and a crafted cocktail, dine on a 42-ounce tomahawk steak served on a wooden platter...
Why do San Jose residents avoid banks?
The number of Silicon Valley households without bank accounts has skyrocketed, a recent federal survey has found. According to a biennial survey conducted by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the rate of unbanked households, or homes that do not have at least one bank account, jumped from 1.9% to 13.2% between 2019 and 2021...