Quote:One last Sunday at Aldo’s before iconic Santa Cruz restaurant is demolished

SANTA CRUZ >> With only a few hours remaining until his family’s business was to be shuttered and demolished, managing partner John Mootz gazed out the window of Aldo’s Harbor Restaurant and watched a perfect wave break across the mouth of the harbor.

“Good swell today,” Mootz said.

Aldo’s, as it’s known locally, could draw crowds for the view alone. Yet it’s also consistently garnered excellent reviews for its food. In 2012, this newspaper raved about its “super-fresh salmon” that tastes “as if it leapt straight from the boat to the grill” and “exquisite garlic fugasa bread.”

Yet the third-generation family restaurant is also considered the best breakfast, brunch and lunch spot in town — if you can get a table on the deck. Sunday was no different. As time ran out on the original Aldo’s, which must be demolished to fix the crumbling seawall below, a full house sat in the sunshine and enjoyed one last meal on the weather-worn deck.

“We opened in 1977 and renovated the place in 2004, so this will be Aldo’s version 3.0,” Mootz said. “It’s not the end, just another beginning.”

Until the seawall can be rebuilt and a brand new building atop it, the restaurant will set up shop on the Harbor’s west side lawn area and serve “al fresco” breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“We’re hoping to open in early to mid-August. We’ll have an outdoor area similar to Aldo’s; same tables,” Mootz said. “It will be something different and new for a while.”

Port Director Lisa Ekers has said she estimates a replacement seawall and restaurant will take 18 to 20 months to build.

Mootz is philosophical about the transition. He treasures the memories of growing up with the business — washing dishes at the age of 14, opening the restaurant as a teenager every morning with his grandmother and working alongside brothers, sisters and cousins.

“It’s what the restaurant represents, not what it is,” Mootz said. “Fact is, I won’t miss the fan that doesn’t work or the carpet and windows that need replacing. So it’s not all bad.”

More problematic is the fact that Mootz must let 37 employees go during this transitional period. Fortunately, he’s received a lot of support from colleagues and even competitors.

“We’ve had numerous local restaurants reach out and offer employment to staff, but they’ve done it in a really respectful way; working around our schedule to make sure it didn’t disrupt our operations.”

Yet some employees don’t want to work anywhere else.

“I’ve known the family for years. My parents actually came to the grand opening in 1977. I know all the regulars,” said Kim Baumhefner, who’s worked as a server at Aldo’s for more than 20 years. “I just have so many memories here.”

Fortunately, memories cannot be demolished.