Longtime East San Jose restaurant closes

Fernando Galindo said Thursday that La Grullensa, a longtime Mexican restaurant in East San Jose, will close this weekend after more than 35 years in business. The restaurant, at CrossRoads Shopping Center on South Capitol Expressway, has been serving customers since 1991, according to Galindo and the restaurant’s closure announcement. Galindo told NBC Bay Area that construction tied to the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s Eastridge-to-BART light rail extension drove customers away and left the business unable to continue. VTA said it was saddened by the closure and said it had offered financial assistance and outreach to businesses along the construction corridor. ### When is La Grullensa closing, and what did the restaurant tell customers? La Grullensa said in a social media announcement that its last day of service will be May 24 and that its physical location will close on May 25. The restaurant said the shutdown was due to “circumstances beyond our control,” according to reports that cited the post. (nbcbayarea.com) Fernando Galindo told NBC Bay Area that he was set to shut down the business this weekend after trying to keep it open through months of disruption. “It didn’t work out,” Galindo said, adding that he had tried to make the restaurant survive but that the situation became “too overwhelming.” ### What did the owner say pushed the business to close? (kron4.com) Galindo said the VTA project “drove his customers away” as pounding, detours and road closures continued near the shopping center for about two years. He told NBC Bay Area that La Grullensa had survived the aftermath of Sept. 11, the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, but not the current construction. (nbcbayarea.com) In a March 5 NBC Bay Area report, Galindo said La Grullensa had lost 60% to 70% of its business since construction started. He said at the time that grant money would be a “Band-Aid” because he still owed vendors and other expenses. ### What is the VTA project doing on Capitol Expressway? VTA says the Eastridge to BART Regional Connector will extend light rail from the existing Alum Rock station to the Eastridge Transit Center, largely along Capitol Expressway. (nbcbayarea.com) The project includes an elevated station at Story Road and an at-grade station at Eastridge, and VTA says riders will be able to connect to BART at Milpitas Station when the work is complete. (nbcbayarea.com) VTA says construction has started and is anticipated to be completed in 2028. A VTA project update presented in May 2025 said construction began on April 15, 2024, and was expected at that point to finish in late 2027; the agency’s current project page says completion is anticipated in 2028. (vta.org) ### How much relief has VTA offered businesses near the work zone? VTA announced in March that it would provide $1 million in grants to support businesses affected by the light-rail extension in San Jose. NBC Bay Area reported that the grants could reach up to $50,000 for impacted businesses. (santaclaravta.iqm2.com) VTA said on May 21 that it had issued more than $265,000 so far in microgrants to affected businesses and that more aid was on the way. In its statement on La Grullensa’s closure, the agency said it had made “significant efforts” through financial assistance, advertising, community outreach and other steps to reduce disruption. (nbcbayarea.com) ### Are other East San Jose businesses reporting similar problems? NBC Bay Area reported in February and March that other merchants along the corridor also said they were struggling with lane closures, blocked access and falling sales. Fast Delivery Pizza owner Alex Waziri told NBC Bay Area in March that he was no longer making money and could not afford to keep a delivery driver. (nbcbayarea.com) Sylvia Arenas, a Santa Clara County supervisor who sits on the VTA board, said in March that staff should have responded sooner to predicted business losses. “We already know the research,” Arenas told NBC Bay Area. “That’s the most frustrating part of this.” ### What happens next along the corridor? (nbcbayarea.com) May 24 is La Grullensa’s final day of service, according to the restaurant’s closure announcement cited in local reports. VTA says construction on the Eastridge-to-BART connector will continue along Capitol Expressway and that the project is anticipated to be completed in 2028. (kron4.com) (nbcbayarea.com)