By John Flood
 Town Crier File Photo Aldo Los Altos Restaurant’s Alan Moll, right, has sold his share of the restaurant to co-owner and chef Donato De Marchi. |
Alan Moll, managing partner of Aldo Los Altos, an Italian restaurant at 388 Main St., has sold his controlling interest to Aldo’s chef, Donato De Marchi.
“He made a serious business offer,” said Moll. “An irresistible offer, and I decided to accept it.”
Aldo opened last year and quickly became a popular dining spot.
“We wanted Aldo to be an approachable place,” said Moll, who is a resident of Los Altos. “We made it a young, fun connection and opted for friendly exuberance. It exceeded our expectations,” he said. The new owner, De Marchi, declined comment.
Aldo has been one of the few recent restaurant success stories in downtown Los Altos, where restaurants open and close frequently. Among restaurateurs, downtown Los Altos has a dubious reputation as a business location because there is virtually no nightlife in town to support a customer base.
“Compare it to downtown Palo Alto, where people can dine out and then shop at stores that stay open past 8 o’clock,” said Moll. “The dining experience in Los Altos is a singular event.”
Yet Moll is upbeat about the future of restaurants downtown and of the village.
“There are exciting new restaurants on Main Street,” he said. “Like Minh’s Vietnamese restaurant, the Cravery (gourmet potpies), the French Creperie, and Vino 100 (a chain wine merchant). Los Altos is ready for good quality restaurant operators.”
Moll is a member of the Los Altos Village Association and serves on its promotions committee. He actively supports cross promotions with dozens of retailers.
“No single business operator can be successful here without the others making it too,” he said. “It’s got to be a collaborative effort of business owners, business associations, the city agencies and, most importantly, the residents of Los Altos.”
Moll said he intends to open another restaurant but added that it was too early to discuss the details.
