I love this place and the food is fresh and good. The problem is that you could go there and order nothing and stay all day. Many small groups met there and no one ordered food, not even a coffee. You cannot run a restaurant that way and expect it to last long. It does show a need, however, for a general meeting place - basically the old front-porch meeting places in days too long ago. Sadly, we can't turn the clock back. I wish Jamie all the best. This is likely one of the last welcoming places Los Altos folks can hang out, chat, knit, discuss books, etc.

Towns on the Peninsula seem to churn through lots of small-time restaurants every month. Broadway street in Redwood City has many, many restaurant locations that have never had success. If I were a landlord (which I usually am) I'd rather have one good, steady tenant than a series of short-terms ones. For some reason, after two or three failures, the location often becomes "jinxed" and people don't want to go there anymore.

FYI, this subject (and its public reaction) also had a run somewhat earlier in the PA Daily Post, where I learned about it (starting January 8 with Jen Nowell's "Beloved cafe to close," which I think broke the story, well before the January-13 Town Crier article linked above). The Post isn't online (except behind a paywall as "archives"), but is distributed widely in print.

So sad to see this place go. It's been a place where I've exhibited my artwork and met with other artists. The food and beverages were always delicious. The owners have always been so generous to the art community to share their walls.

Here I thought that the Cafe was the break room for the Los Altos Town Crier!

This is so very sad. A welcoming place where you can sit at the bar for lunch and chat with any locals there or read. Jamie is unfailingly welcoming and kind. The food is delicious and served with a smile. The local car club brings its beautiful, Concours-ready, cars there very Saturday to chat and gather. Book clubs, realtors, and artists gather there. The trendy restaurants that have moved into our neighborhood offer none of this wonderful feel which, I have read, is one of the keys to happiness (6 encounters a day=happiness and a feeling of well-being). Also, the Town Crier did not publish this article promptly as the publishers are the owners of the building which houses The Main Street Cafe.

I wish I could to hire Jamie as my personal chef, what a giving and caring person! Unfortunately it all comes down to money in this world. Sad to see them go.

I visited Main Street Cafe recently for the first time, had a light meal and coffee, talked to Jamie Tomaselli (who was indeed very welcoming) and one or two local regulars. I guess I've walked past many times when in downtown Los Altos and not known such a place was there.

Even by neighborhood coffee-house standards, Main St. Cafe seemed very deliberately organized as a community center. Not just the section with books, the artwork, the many people chatting at small tables in front (who, I suspect, had been there before), or the long counter; the large space even has a supplemental area of tables at the rear or State-Street end, labeled "Chat Room."

If the owner succeeds in opening elsewhere, I'm sure it will be popular and I hope someone posts an update here.