Hard time for Uncle Frank Hard time for Uncle Frank (January 14, 2005)

Back to the drawing board for local restaurant

After its eviction from East Palo Alto, a popular barbeque restaurant appeared to find a new home in Mountain View until permit problems forced yet another closure.

The restaurant, Uncle Frank's BBQ, requires its own permit to prepare meats under the roof of Francesca's bar in Mountain View. A hearing in early February will determine when Uncle Frank's will reopen.

Although owner Frank Bell is hopeful to sort the problem out by March, for now his doors are closed.

Finding a new home for Uncle Frank's, a longtime favorite in East Palo Alto, has not been easy. With the arrival of such big businesses as Ikea and Home Depot to the area, mom-and-pop establishments like Uncle Frank's are having a difficult time affording the space -- if it can even be found. Even before the eviction, Bell searched for a new location in East Palo Alto for almost three years before looking toward Mountain View.

The current location, Francesca's at 2135 Old Middlefield Road in Mountain View, has benefits over the old East Palo Alto restaurant. It would allow Uncle Frank's to seat 50 while the old location could barely squeeze in 25. -- Molly Tanenbaum

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