Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Dave Hills, co-manager of the Iron Skillet Restaurant in Los Gatos, is the great-grandson of the restaurant's owner, John Tripp. Hills' sister also works at the restaurant.
Diners can get more than expected at the Iron Skillet
By Suzanne Cristallo
"It's just a plain old neighborhood meeting house," says John Tripp of his Iron Skillet Cafe in Los Gatos. He cultivates the loyalty of customers who like a slower pace and, what he calls, "a bigger bang for their buck."
With 22 years at the same location--near Nob Hill Foods on Los Gatos Boulevard--the cafe's mainstay has been breakfast and lunch. "But there are those folks who like to come in later in the evening for dinner, and read their Bible, or Wall Street Journal, or whatever, because we won't bother them," Tripp says.
Iron Skillet serves basic American fare, appealing to a wide range of tastes, from pastas to South-of-the-Border, but it's probably the brunch menu that gets the biggest action. The "Skillet Classics" include basic two-egg breakfasts with hash browns or home fries, and wheat or sourdough toast for $4.25. There is also the "Healthy Stuff" menu, including oatmeal, fruit and Egg Beaters omelettes. The "Skillet Specials," at $7.25, are four-egg omelettes, stuffed with bacon, mushrooms and bell peppers and topped with jack cheese, with home style potatoes and toast on the side. The hotcakes are also an item to consider.
"We don't premeasure any of our food," Tripp says. "Where most restaurants serve exactly 4-inch hot cakes every time, we just pour it on the griddle, and you get up to an 8-inch round. People think, 'My gosh, we've really got something here!' They also might get six eggs, instead of four, the same way."
Tripp says that he just tries to treat people well. "We're not very exotic. We want to give them a fair shake," he says.
Sandwiches for $6.95 come in many forms, from blackened chicken with its secret spices to Philly French Dip with mozzarella and grilled peppers and onions. There are salads of cashew chicken, skillet seafood and hot spinach. Beer and wine and the gamut of softer drinks round out the menu.
Tripp, who estimates his age as somewhere around 75, started the cafe with his son Vincent in 1979. He planned to help out while Vincent ran the place, but another business in industrial cleaning became successful and drew his son away, leaving Tripp to run the place for the past five years. He hardly does it alone.
Tripp--an East Coast native--and his wife, Juanita, moved to Los Gatos in 1954. They have five children, 22 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Two of the great grandchildren work and live with the Tripps: Heather Hills, a 17-year-old student at Los Gatos High School, and her brother, Daniel, 20. There are also a niece, a grandson and a sister helping out.
"All of the kids have worked here at one time or another," he says. While most local businesses are suffering from the lack of available help, he has one advantage. "We have a steady labor supply in the family."
The Iron Skillet, 15662 Los Gatos Blvd., Los Gatos. Open daily 7 a.m.-9 p.m. 408.356.0600.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
