A confusing fact about the Original Joe’s brand in the Bay Area is that it actually belongs to two unrelated families — and if you bring in other “Joe’s” restaurants in Marin and elsewhere, the picture is murkier.
The original Original Joe’s in San Francisco has long been divorced from its once closer cousin in San Jose. But now that the San Jose Original Joe’s has gone on the market, it’s conceivable the brand name could be unified once again, though no one has suggested yet that this will happen.
As the Mercury News is reporting, Original Joe’s in downtown San Jose just celebrated its 70th birthday, and the brothers who own the restaurant have decided to sell and retire. Brad Rocca, who at 68 is two years younger than the restaurant, and his brother Matt Rocca, 70, say they have no plans to close the restaurant, and they are looking for a buyer “who loves Joe’s as much as we do to take it into the next generation.”…