Although there are vacant storefronts in downtown Palo Alto, new stores are preparing to open, such as La Corneta on University Avenue and The Pro on Ramona Street.
Pro Bill was formerly Palo Alto’s legendary sports bar, “The Old Pro,” which the owners closed in the summer of 2022 due to rising costs heading into the end of the pandemic.
Two years later, Guillaume Bienème, owner of Bar Zola around the corner, is moving forward with plans to revitalize the establishment.
“We have the building permit and will be ready to build very soon,” he said. “The bar will be called ‘The Pro,’ a tribute to the ‘Old Pro.'”
Bienaim said he hopes to open within nine months with the help of a new investor: former Stanford and NFL quarterback Andrew Luck.
“We spent time together. I shared my vision and he asked some questions. He also helped us define a little bit what we were doing. He’s the perfect partner,” he said.
Bienaim said he wants The Pro to be a place where people can go for a drink, watch a game and have dinner with friends and family, but the retail space will remain the same and the bar will remain in the center.
“We thought this would be the perfect spot, where we’re going to replace the dining tables with lower tables and keep the higher tables on the right for the bar,” he said.
Bienaim said he also wants to create a podcast space in the building, collaborate with sports teams and host events that benefit local children.