Jake's Cafe, a Livermore staple since 2014, has permanently closed its doors after owner Jake Palmer gave out free breakfast burritos. Palmer, a Livermore native, expressed gratitude to his employees and customers, citing a desire for a break and a new chapter. The cafe was known for its scratch-made food, including an acclaimed Asian chicken salad, and community involvement through catering and job training.
Jake’s Cafe in Livermore closed permanently after handing out free breakfast burritos on Monday, March 23, 2026. at 51 Wright Brothers Ave., in a humble strip mall right across the street from the Livermore Municipal Airport.
The restaurant had opened in 2014 under the stewardship of owner Jake Palmer, serving cafe staples with scratch-made sauces and dressings, plus what some customers swear was the best Asian chicken salad around.Reality TV star Lisa Vanderpump’s California restaurants are for salein mid-February. “For the last 12 years, I’ve been honored to serve the community I was raised in. … I’ve raised three kids doing this, and was able to do what I truly love to do,” he said. “I’m ready for a break. I need to focus on my health. And I’m ready to start a new chapter with new adventures to learn from.” He thanked his longtime employees — “you all are much more than my employees, you guys are my family” — and told his customers, “I’ll miss the hell out of you. It’s been a wild ride and I can’t be more thankful for all of you.” Palmer was born and raised in Livermore, and after undergoing education in the culinary arts, took on high-end restaurant jobs in Florida and the Bay Area, according to his website. He decided thereafter to open a cafe in his hometown, to channel “his years of experience and creativity to provide the very best sandwiches and salads.” Online reviews of the cafe describe personal favorites from the menu, from Cuban sandwiches and grilled cheese with fries to Asian chicken salad, quiche and unspecified but “awesome creations.” Palmer’s Thanksgiving meals tended to sell out early, and over the years, he also provided catering and job training for the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District. One local student who received job-skills training at Jake’s later wrote the owner an appreciation letter, saying the “practice helped me grow as a worker. You gave me the opportunity to work in the community I live in.” Jake’s Cafe and Catering declared on Instagram it would give free breakfast burritos to anyone who stopped by on its final day, while supplies lasted. That news prompted folks online to share their memories, including one person who wrote, “We want to be there before you close up. I am taking a day off for this.” Another compared Jake’s to their own personal “Cheers” bar, writing, “It’s always been more than grabbing lunch, it’s the friends I’ve made. It’s your staff watching my kid grow up. It’s watching your kids grow up. … I know this wasn’t easy, my friend. Family over everything. We love you.” Homicide victim had been warned to steer clear of Norteño turf, but teenaged killer caught him there, feds sayExclusive: Randy Bennett explains why he’s leaving Saint Mary’s for Arizona StateOakland diocese, abuse victims far apart in settlement talksChristina Applegate bought her burial plot, says she knows death is ‘looming’Man dies from injuries sustained in East Bay fight
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