Longtime Mexican Restaurant to Close Permanently

Fernando Galindo said La Grullensa Restaurant in East San Jose will close this weekend after more than 35 years in business, ending a run the owner said he could no longer sustain during nearby transit construction. NBC Bay Area reported on May 21 that Galindo blamed the Valley Transportation Authority’s Eastridge-to-BART light rail extension work for driving away customers at the restaurant in the CrossRoads Shopping Center on South Capitol Avenue. The closure comes as other merchants along the route have also said lane closures, detours and prolonged construction have cut into sales. VTA says the rail project began construction in 2024 and is expected to be completed in 2028. ### When is La Grullensa closing, and where is it? La Grullensa Restaurant is located at the CrossRoads Shopping Center on South Capitol Avenue in East San Jose, according to NBC Bay Area. Fernando Galindo told the station he is shutting the business this weekend after serving customers for more than 35 years. A separate restaurant industry report said the final meal was scheduled for May 24, with the doors closing the following day. (nbcbayarea.com) More than three decades in business made La Grullensa a longtime fixture in the neighborhood, but Galindo said the restaurant could not keep operating under current conditions. “It didn’t work out,” he told NBC Bay Area. “Trust me, I tried. I tried. I pushed.” ### What does the owner say pushed the restaurant to shut down? Fernando Galindo told NBC Bay Area that construction tied to VTA’s light rail extension drove customers away from the restaurant. (nbcbayarea.com) In an earlier NBC Bay Area report from February, he said sales had dropped 60% to 70% since construction crews arrived in the area. The Eastridge-to-BART Regional Connector has brought lane and road closures along parts of the corridor, according to NBC Bay Area and VTA notices. VTA has also posted reroutes and turn restrictions connected to the project, including changes affecting traffic around Capitol Expressway and nearby intersections. ### What exactly is the VTA project? (nbcbayarea.com) VTA says the Eastridge-to-BART Regional Connector extends light rail 2.4 miles from the existing Alum Rock Light Rail Station to the Eastridge Transit Center. The agency says the line will run primarily on an elevated guideway in the center of Capitol Expressway and include a station at Story Road. Construction started in the summer of 2024, according to NBC Bay Area and VTA construction notices. (nbcbayarea.com) NBC Bay Area reported the project is estimated to be completed in 2028. ### Are other East San Jose businesses saying the same thing? NBC Bay Area reported on February 27 that multiple San Jose businesses near the construction zone said the project was hurting their bottom line and could force closures. (vta.org) That report identified La Grullensa as one of the businesses raising concerns before Galindo’s decision to shut down. (nbcbayarea.com) VTA announced on March 5 that it would provide $1 million in grants for businesses affected by the light-rail extension, NBC Bay Area reported. Some merchants told the station the aid would not cover losses already sustained during the construction period. ### What has VTA said about the disruption? VTA has described the Eastridge-to-BART project as a major transit expansion linking the existing light rail system to Eastridge Transit Center. (nbcbayarea.com) The agency’s project page directs the public to weekly construction updates, and separate VTA notices describe traffic changes, sidewalk impacts and temporary turn restrictions in the construction zone. (nbcbayarea.com) Recent VTA service alerts have also listed bus reroutes connected to the project. Those notices underscore that construction impacts remain active along the corridor even as merchants say the work has reduced access to their storefronts. ### What happens next for the corridor? The 2028 completion estimate remains the public timeline cited by NBC Bay Area for the Eastridge-to-BART Regional Connector. (vta.org) VTA says current construction updates and traffic notices for the corridor are posted on the project’s website as work continues along Capitol Expressway. (nbcbayarea.com) (vta.org)