Iconic Palo Alto sports bar will close
One more NBA finale. One last Father's Day. But no more big games or World Series action.
Palo Alto's The Old Pro, a legendary sports bar and Stanford fan hangout, will shut down at the end of business June 19, after decades in business at two locations, first on El Camino Real and then on Ramona Street downtown.
“We've been trying to avoid this since COVID began,” owner Steve Sinchek lamented Thursday, but the slow return to normalcy after the pandemic made the decision inevitable. “The biggest thing, beyond the rising costs and salaries and the rent going through the roof: Tech parties never really came back.”
Weekends are still brisk, he said, but on weekdays The Old Pro would depend on the business generated by Google, Apple, Intuit, Palantir and other nearby high-tech companies to fill that monstrous space.
“We'll be grateful for what we had over the years and move on,” he said.
A note he posted on social media said he and his employees were happy to have been “an integral part of our local community, supporting teams and causes while hosting thousands of local events.”
The decision makes The Old Pro the third longtime bar/hangout in the region to shut down in the past few years. The Oasis Beer Garden in Menlo Park shuttered in 2018 after its owners failed to reach a new lease agreement. And Antonio's Nut House called it quits in 2020, a victim of the business restrictions on bars during those early months of the pandemic.
Fans of The Old Pro took to social media Thursday to mourn the closing, share memories, say thanks and ask whether there's any way to save the business.
“NOOOOO! Many of my great moments and experiences in Silicon Valley have been at The Old Pro,” Chris McCoy posted. “Going to miss you old friend.”
“Wow. End of an era.
Several eras really. Great run, team,” Michael Levinson wrote.
With its trendy menu — smoked Diestel turkey chili, made with organic, non-GMO turkey; avocado-kale Caesar salad; and crispy Brussels Sprouts with a Thai chile glaze — The Old Pro appealed to more than just sports fans.
“Loved our nurses' gatherings every other Sunday night after working 3 in a row all weekend. Thanks for the memories,” posted Jacque Neuwoehner Major.
That trendy menu will live on at Local Union 271, a restaurant nearby on University Avenue that Sinchek also owns. While that business has had its pandemic-era struggles, he said the viability of a smaller space such as that one is “not driven by big groups.”
Until closing day, The Old Pro will maintain its regular hours, from 3 p.m. to midnight Thursday, from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.