|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
A mainstay of West Menlo Park for the past 45 years is closing. Lutticken’s Deli & After 5 Restaurant will serve its last sandwich at the end of September, Manager Judy Congdon said.
Congdon said the business, which has been at the corner of Alameda de Las Pulgas and Gordon Avenue since it opened in 1981, has never fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s just not sustainable anymore,” said Congdon, who has worked at the restaurant since it opened. “Since COVID shut everything down, our business hasn’t come back.”
Founded by Bob Lutticken, the neighborhood deli became known for its sandwiches, particularly those served on Dutch crunch bread, and for a friendly community atmosphere where longtime customers were often greeted by name.
In 2011, the business expanded into the evening hours with Lutticken’s After 5, which served dinner and liquor. The evening restaurant hours also host live music, karaoke and open mic nights.
“It’s been an institution,” Congdon said. “We’ve had fantastic parties, wonderful customers and great kids working here. But the highlight has been just being here every day for the community.”
Lutticken’s supported local organizations and causes over its decades in business, including youth sports teams and groups providing food to people in need. During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the business raised more than $6,000 to help provide assistance to local residents.
Lutticken’s was recognized by state Sen. Josh Becker, who named the restaurant Senate District 13’s 2024 Small Business of the Year.
Becker’s not the only politician with an appreciation for the deli. In June 2000, then-Vice President Al Gore stopped at Lutticken’s while campaigning for president, getting a turkey sandwich and meeting with Peninsula business owners. The visit, accompanied by police and Secret Service agents, came as a surprise to customers and even to Lutticken himself, who was given about two hours to prepare.
The last day for the original Lutticken’s on Alameda de Las Pulgas will be on Sept. 30. The deli’s two satellite locations, on the Stanford University campus and Sand Hill Road, are also set to close in September.
Most Popular
‘Hard to believe’: Two Redwood City residents died in Palo Alto motorcycle crashesAugust 28, 2026 5:59 pm
For former TIDE students, a rocky start and missing programs at Woodside HighAugust 28, 2026 10:57 am