By Bruce Barton

Joe Hu/Town Crier Richard Kuhlman, Marie Callender’s general manager and co-owner, holds a rib-eye steak.

For years, it was all about the pies, hamburgers and other standard lunchtime fare. But improvements are in the offing at the long-standing Marie Callender’s restaurant on El Camino Real in Los Altos.

Business hasn’t been bad, mind you. A steady stream of diners has kept the Los Altos eatery in business continually since 1968, back when much of Los Altos was still covered by orchards. But when new owner Ron Garald took over last July, he decided it was time to shake things up a little.

So the menu and the decor underwent some notable renovations. Garald, who also runs the popular Forbes Mill Steakhouse in Los Gatos, added certified Angus beef dishes to Marie’s menu. Now customers can feast on high-quality top sirloin, rib eye and filet mignon. The quality of the meat is obvious, proving tender and tasty even when ordered well done and without the aid of any steak sauce enhancements. The top sirloin runs customers $13.99, while the filet mignon is $19.99.

Along with the beef is a new selection of wines and fish dishes, such as salmon and boneless trout.

“We want to change the image of a pie and a hamburger,” Garald said. “We want someone to come in here and have a good steak dinner with a bottle of wine.”

Garald also is beefing up the restaurant’s interior, putting in new light fixtures, adding more earth tones. He just gave the place a long-overdue cleaning.

“We took down a lot of the partitions,” he said. “A lot of people like the openness.”

Garald made it clear the pies are not going away. In fact, he takes great pride in their quality. General manager Richard Kuhlman noted nearly all of them are baked on site. Whole milk has been used on the premises since 1975, Garald said, for flakier crusts. The end result is pies that are fresh and flavorful, whether you choose banana cream, rhubarb, apple or a specialty like Kahlua cream cheese.

“We’re keeping the quality of Marie Callender’s and adding the specialty of the steaks,” Garald said.

Garald hopes his changes result in more customers, particularly a younger crowd that he sees Marie’s has lost over the years.Meanwhile, the staff has not lost sight of the steady lunchtime crowd. Marie’s Los Altos continues to serve sandwiches, soups and, of course, pies.

The new owner also stressed the importance of good staff. He noted four of his personnel have put in more than 15 years at Marie Callender’s. He is hiring and training new people to up the ante on customer service. Garald said he hopes to have most of his improvements ready in time for the holiday season and figures to have his restaurant overhaul complete by January.

“We want to get the traffic back in here,” he said. “Marie’s is back.”

Marie Callender’s is located at 4710 El Camino Real, Los Altos. For more information, call 941-6989 or visit www.mcpies.com.