Zott’s

Spotted: Plaque commemorating the launch of the internet age at Zott’s

by Linda Hubbard on August 27, 2020

According to Portola Valley Past and Present, on August 27, 1976, researchers from SRI International in Menlo Park chose the Alpine Inn, aka Zott’s, for a special ceremony. The SRI mobile radio laboratory, housed in a large van, pulled up outside the roadhouse one warm summer afternoon.

The scientists placed a computer terminal on one of the picnic tables out behind the building and connected it to the van. Then they proceeded to send a long electronic report…former SRI Computer Science Division Vice-President Don Nielson called this electronic message (not yet called e-mail) “… the first internet transmission…”

We had the pleasure of visiting with internet pioneer Elizabeth Fenler before her induction into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2012.

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Menlo Park Historical Association is co-sponsor of talk about Alpine Inn on March 8

Update March 6: This talk has been cancelled. “In accord with the County of Santa Clara’s recent Public Health Department update, the Palo Alto Historical Association Board of Directors has decided to postpone the meeting planned for this Sunday, March 8. The latest recommendation from the County applies to large gatherings of seniors; thus, we […]

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The saga of Alpine Inn aka Zott’s over the years

Editor’s note: Our hunch that the re-opening of the Alpine Inn was the biggest attention grabber of 2019 bore out in the in the number of readers’ views on InMenlo and on Facebook. Its saga is featured in our end-of-year coverage for today. Tomorrow we’ll offer a roundup of other people and places that got […]

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Whoops! Those are stars overhead at Zott’s – not a tent

On Sunday, Dec. 15, we walked from the Ladera Shopping Center to the Alpine Inn for lunch. When we got there, we were delighted to find that the outdoor beer garden had been tented. What a great way to winterize that big outdoor eating area, we wrote on InMenlo. That got the attention of one […]

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Spotted: A winterized Zott’s

The party continues at the Alpine Inn aka Zott’s even as temperatures dip and rain falls from the sky. A good portion of the outside beer garden is now under a large transparent tent. An elevated flooring allows heat  to be pumped in. The holiday spirit is fostered by pomegranate and evergreen garlands that hang […]

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Rossotti’s Alpine Inn begins another chapter – with new offerings of food, drink and games

Rossotti’s Alpine Inn, aka Zott’s, made a triumphant return when it re-opened for business last Friday afternoon at 5:00 pm. There’s much to like! It now looks more like a proper beer garden that its roadhouse roots. The outside picnic tables with adjacent heaters and overhead lights seem to extend for miles. And they were […]

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Update on community effort to buy Alpine Beer Garden

Lucy Neely sent out this email about the community effort to buy Rossotti’s: “Portola Valley Community Roadhouse, LLC offers our gratitude for your support the last couple of weeks, and our apologies for not being able to respond to all inquiries! We will write back soon. “The deadline for submission of Letters of Intent to […]

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Momentum builds in effort to buy Alpine Inn (aka Rossotti’s) with a initial deadline of May 31

After three community meetings led by Lucy Neely under the auspices of the Portola Valley Community Roadhouse, LLC, the opportunity for locals to buy the historical Alpine Inn Beer Garden — aka Rossotti’s — is moving forward quickly. At last week’s meetings, Lucy talked about the “emotional and historical importance” Zott’s has to the community and […]

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Spotted: M-A Class of ’66 parties on at Zott’s today

The Menlo-Atherton High School Class of ’66 held its 50th reunion last night at the Elks Lodge in Palo Alto, the same location they’d held their grad night festivities. And like most every other reunion that takes place locally, Sunday meant a “morning after” reconnection at Zott’s in Portola Valley. The inclement weather had them […]

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