Bay Area diner to close original store after 49 years

Hobee’s Restaurants, known for its self-proclaimed “world-famous coffeecake,” will permanently close its original Mountain View store after 49 years. 

The Mountain View restaurant, located at 2312 Central Expressway, is expected to shutter at the end of Thanksgiving weekend, according to a Facebook post shared by the business on Tuesday. The owners cited “infrastructure” issues as a reason behind the closure.

“We have made the very difficult decision to close Hobee’s Mountain View, the original Best Darn Breakfast In Town, at the end of Thanksgiving Weekend,” the post read in part. “Our Mountain View location has been Hobee’s home since the Taber family first opened the doors in March 1974 and a legacy in the community. Unfortunately, the infrastructure is showing it’s age.”

Camille Chijate, president of Hobee’s, told SFGATE that she’s been fighting the potential of closing the store for the last two years. Chijate hired architects and consultants to help revive the aging space but said she and the property owner could not come to an agreement on the upgrades.

“We weren’t getting response or interest from the property owners,” Chijate said. “We were trying to find a way to get the work done and still stay here.”

The closure marks the end of an era, Chijate added. She said that Hobee’s planned a 50th anniversary for the Mountain View outpost next year, but now those plans won’t materialize given the closure.

The upcoming closure follows the closure of the San Jose Hobee’s location at 680 River Oaks Parkway, which shuttered in February 2022 after 28 years. In a post on Facebook, Chijate shared that the San Jose store struggled to recoup its lunch crowd that diminished during the pandemic years.

Despite the recent closures, Hobee’s is working toward opening a new store in downtown San Jose. Hobee’s is preparing to debut a new restaurant location at 261 N. 2nd St. in San Jose, which is expected to open before year’s end. The mini restaurant chain first announced plans to open its newest store in June.

Chijate told SFGATE that current staffers at the Mountain View store will be offered positions at the existing Hobee’s locations in Palo Alto, Belmont, and Sunnyvale amid the transition. While she admits it’s hard to leave Mountain View given the restaurant’s enduring history, Chijate said Hobee’s could return to Mountain View in the future if a good opportunity presents itself.

“We would love to find a new spot in the city of Mountain View,” Chijate said. “It is our home, so it’s not unfeasible that we will be back.”