Ed started his career in the industry in the 70’s as an owner operator of Eulipia, a successful night club and restaurant which he operated for 14 years in downtown San Jose which he sold to his partners. While he was negotiating his premises lease with his attorney Glenn Thompson for a new location, they decided to join forces as partners and opened up Willow Street Pizza in the Willow Glen district of San Jose in 1991. Their concept is serving high quality pizzas cooked in wood fired ovens using Ed’s cousin’s (Ed’s cousin runs an Italian restaurant in Northern Italy) Italian dough recipe. Willow Street serves high quality wood fired pizzas, Italian thin crust pizzas, gluten free pizzas, pastas, salads and starters. They have locations in Los Gatos, and two in San Jose –in the Willow Glen district and in the Westgate Shopping Center.
They opened their first Main Street Burgers location in Los Gatos in 2005 which serves Niman Ranch beef hamburgers, fresh cut Kennebeck fries with thick shakes and homemade sundaes made with premium ice cream.
Ed handles the operations and marketing activity of both concepts and Glenn handles the administrative side of the business. Their operating philosophy of providing their customers a quality product using local fresh ingredients and high quality beef and fish products in a family friendly environment with an emphasis on price value has contributed to their success.
Restaurant Realty had the opportunity of working with Ed and Glenn in two transactions and most recently in selling them their new location for their Main Street Burgers location in Willow Glenn, San Jose which recently opened. We wish them much success in their new location and in all of their future endeavors.