Lutticken's to Close After 45 Years: A Look at the West Menlo Park Corner

"Our group still show up on most Tuesdays," Bob Budelli told InMenlo. "Bob has provided for many, many people over the years. Real sad."

There are three Tuesdays left. Lutticken's Deli and After 5, the sandwich counter turned wine bar and karaoke stage at the corner of Alameda de las Pulgas and Gordon Avenue, will serve its last order on September 30, 2026. General manager Judy Congdon, who has worked the counter since the doors opened in 1981, put it plainly to The Almanac: "It's just not sustainable anymore. Since COVID shut everything down, our business hasn't come back."

Lutticken's closure is part of the story of the corner. The businesses still open on the same short stretch offer a snapshot of the corner today.

Three Locations, One Closing Date

Lutticken's was never just the flagship. Bob Lutticken built a Hawaiian sandwich institution, ham, Swiss, pineapple salsa, around $13, and then extended the brand into two satellite counters: one inside Stanford University, one on Sand Hill Road. All three will shut down at once on September 30.

Congdon and Lutticken built a community fixture on Alameda de las Pulgas for 45 years, complete with a full bar at After 5 (added in 2011), weekly karaoke and live music, and a track record of local giving that included pandemic-era food deliveries to Street Life Ministries, the St. Francis Center, and the Maple Street Shelter. In 2024, State Senator Josh Becker named Lutticken's the Senate District 13 Small Business of the Year. In June 2000, Al Gore stopped in for a turkey sandwich while campaigning for president.

Businesses Still Open on the Corner

Walk that same stretch of Alameda de las Pulgas today and the businesses still open there offer a mix of neighborhood dining options and everyday stops.

• Dutch Goose, at 3567 Alameda de Las Pulgas, has run as a burger and beer pub since 1966.
• Avanti Pizza, at 3536 Alameda de Las Pulgas, literally the corner of Gordon Avenue, serves dinner and delivery.
• Flea Street Cafe anchors the same commercial cluster as a dinner destination.
• Country Corner, the sandwich spot at 3207 Alameda de Las Pulgas, and the Starbucks at 3590, both fit into residential routines such as the school drop-off, the dog walk, and the Saturday errand run.

The corner remains active, even as Lutticken's prepares to close.

Before September 30

If you've been meaning to stop in, you have a real deadline now, not a vague sense that you should get around to it. The flagship at 3535 Alameda de Las Pulgas is open for dinner and drinks through the end of the month, and Hoodline reported that Congdon said the closure will be final: "Everything's going to be shut down September 30." No replacement tenant has been announced for the space.

For regulars looking ahead, the block still has familiar places to visit. Dutch Goose keeps its 1966 run going. Avanti Pizza is still two doors down on Gordon. Flea Street Cafe and Country Corner remain open on the same stretch.

If you're watching how Peninsula neighborhoods like West Menlo Park are evolving, block by block, and want a read informed by more than a listing sheet, the David Kim Group tracks these shifts as part of daily practice on the mid-Peninsula. Schedule a consultation whenever you're ready to talk about what a changing corner like this one means for your own plans.