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View a database that includes artifacts, photographs, and documents in the History San José collection which relate to Lou’s Village Restaurant in San José, California.
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“I miss the excellent food, Ruben the head waiter, Sion the excellent chef, a feeling of being at a family dinner rather than a restaurant, and taking the shuttle to the Sharks games.”
3rd Generation: Tim & Tom
Brothers Tom and Tim Muller grew up at Lou’s Village. Tom has vivid memories from his childhood of the smell of food: french fries, ice cream, and prime rib. He remembers his grandfather, Lou, in his suit, the cooks wearing their white clothes, and his grandmother, Alvina, running the kitchen with an iron fist.
The brothers learned about the restaurant and catering business at an early age. At 12, Tim started working in the restaurant. Tom focused on his band and music, but helped out with the catering side of the business. Both Tom and Tim remember the benefits of having entertainment at Lou’s Village. The brothers were known to play the instruments left on the bandstand by the house band.
Tom attended Bellarmine College Preparatory and San Jose State and then served as a naval officer. He pursued a career in music until 1976, when he returned to San Jose and joined his family in managing the restaurant. Tim attended Archbishop Mitty High School, San Jose City College, San Jose State, and received an MBA at University of Santa Clara.
Tom and Tim were the third generation of the Santoro-Muller family to own and operate Lou’s Village. They continued in the vein of their parents and grandparents in adjusting to the changing needs of their customers. When San José’s new entertainment venue, the San José Arena (now the HP Pavilion) opened, Lou’s provided a free shuttle for their customers to and from hockey games and concerts. Due to the size and responsibility of managing and maintaining a 28,000 square foot business and the fact that none of the 4th generation was interested in the restaurant business, in 2005 the Mullers made the decision to close Lou’s Village after sixty years.