Fontana's restaurant closes Fontana's restaurant closes (April 24, 2002)

By Jane Knoerle

Almanac Staff Writer

After 15 years in Menlo Park, Fontana's Italian restaurant, 1850 El Camino Real, closed April 15.

The change in the economy and in their personal lives influenced owners Charlotte and Murray Horton of Los Altos not to extend the restaurant building's lease, he said.

Mr. Horton said the 6,700-square-foot building would have needed major remodeling if they decided to stay.

The building was previously the site of Atherton Joe's and, before that, the Menlo House coffee shop. The Hortons added a patio for outdoor dining and a banquet room.

The Hortons will continue to operate Fontana's restaurant at 20840 Stevens Creek Blvd. in Cupertino, which they opened in 1984. That restaurant moved to a new building in 1996 and business "has been great," said Mr. Horton. Many customers dine at Fontana's before attending performances at the nearby Flint Center for the Performing Arts.

Mr. Horton, who was celebrating the birth of a new granddaughter last week, said he hopes to have more time to travel, including another visit to Fontana Rosa, the village in Italy where his wife's grandparents lived before coming to the United States.

He also invites his Menlo Park and Atherton customers to "come on down" to Fontana's in Cupertino.