‘Restauranteers’ moving forward

A new community group in La Crescenta used a booth at Montrose Harvest Market this past Sunday to kick off their campaign to put a new restaurant on Foothill Boulevard. The Foothill Restauranteers have stated that their goals are to attract a family-oriented American-style restaurant to the Foothill Boulevard corridor, either in the unincorporated or the Glendale portion.

Longtime local resident Terry Kappen started the group a few months ago to help her realize her dream of having good home-style cooking available in a comfortable sit-down atmosphere close to home. “Our community has had great success with the restaurants in Montrose. Let’s move that success up the hill to Foothill now,” Kappen said.

The ad hoc committee is made up of several local individuals who have expressed interest, including members of the Crescenta Valley Town Council, the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Historical Society, and local business owners. In several round-table discussions they have entertained such wide discussion topics as chain restaurants or independents, basic coffee shops or higher end venues that serve alcoholic drinks, and how to approach developers, landowners or restaurant chain corporate offices. All in the group agree it’s about revitalizing the boulevard and creating a gathering spot for the community.

The Foothill Restauranteers are asking residents to sign petitions to show the community’s support in a restaurant on the boulevard. They hope to present these along with a marketing package to potential restaurant businesses, in the hopes that they will see the untapped potential in La Crescenta.

Steve Pierce of the CV Town Council said, “Our new state-of-the-art county library on Foothill will be amazing. And with so many cultural events taking place in the community rooms there, it’s bound to make the boulevard a new destination for CV residents. We’re going to need someplace for them to eat after all these great programs.”