Formerly Kapp's, Now 191, is Ready to Hire

Joe Kapp's fight with Angelo Mosca last month had nothing to do with it.

But Mountain View's , once owned by the famous quarterback, changed its name on Dec. 1, 2011 to '191 Restaurant Bar and Grill'–after the street address–because the management felt the time had come to "revitalize" its image.

The fight "was just a coincidence," said Paulo Amarante, 191's general manager and a restaurant consultant, who came on board two months ago to help with the transformation.

According to Amarante, the owner didn't plan on selling it, but "it was about increasing business and revitalizing that corner." So he hired 10 Stanford students to ask people on Castro Street what they looked for in a restaurant. The general feedback included fresh quality food, good service and a place that's pleasant to be in.

"Kapp's was dark," he said about the grey and brown paint on walls and poles, which they've painted over with a rustic orange or cream. "We brought it out of its shell."

While the menu and decor have been revamped, 100 percent of the staff has been retained, eight more have been hired and another 12 will be brought on board, explained Amarante to allay any question that the restaurant was in trouble.

The restaurant has kept its entire pizza menu and most of the burgers. It's added more appetizers, salads and sandwiches, steaks–like filet mignon, skirt steak and ribeye–and seafood. It's also expanded its wine list and created a new cocktail menu.

Other major developments? The addition of a full daily breakfast menu like pancakes, omelettes, scrambles and freshly baked scones to run from 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and a late-night happy hour with live-music on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 p.m. to midnight.

"We want to increase business," said Amarante, adding that it's not about competing with neighboring restaurants. "When we get busy, everyone around us gets busy too."

Part of their evolution also includes more community engagement.

Now that the sports memoribilia has been taken off the walls, 191 has decided to showcase the work of local artists and every quarter will host an art gallery. Once a month, they hope to host a "local celebrity bartender" and donate 100 percent of the proceeds from the drinks and tips to a local charity.

A Yelp review posted on Nov. 26 expressed optimism for the "venerable neighborhood institution, with the warmest most classic (and family-friendly) bar counter of several downtown."

Amarante, who came over from Half Moon Bay's , will stay as long as the management wants him too. He added that none of the restaurants he's worked on has failed and 191 "will not be my first."

He takes his job very seriously.

"We want people to feel like they just walked into our home," he said.