Forty-seven years after opening California’s first Fish Market restaurant in Palo Alto, then expanding throughout the South Bay and Peninsula, the company shuttered that El Camino Real location late Wednesday. Customers lined up outside before lunch to snag a favorite table for their last orders of seafood and bowls of chowder — and their final goodbyes with longtime employees.
On the last day of service at The Fish Market in Palo Alto, Calif., Juan Gonzalez, who has worked in the restaurant chain since 1979, cleans a table on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. The San Mateo restaurant is nearing its final day of business, Sept. 20. The company’s fishery operations based in South San Francisco also are closing.
The reason? Redevelopment is in the works for both properties, company officials said. Also, the hiring and the costs associated with operating the Farallon Fishery for just two restaurants has been challenging. Going forward, diners craving a Fish Market fix will have to make their way south to visit one of the chain’s two remaining restaurants, in San Diego and Del Mar.Dwight Colton, the president of the Fish Market restaurants, talks with long time customers. Hosts at the restaurant, Kathy Tweed, left, and Kirsty Milne, greet customers. Marvin Coc, a cook at the restaurant, prepares seafood dishes. Jenny Nilson, who has worked for 17 years, talks with a customer.