Whispers of upbeat music flow throughout Ramona Street, on a tranquil pedestrian block off of University Avenue in downtown. The music is followed back to a plain storefront with few signs and advertisements indicating its identity. Residents of Palo Alto have this building ingrained in their memory as a lively sports bar with bull riding, and a connection to Stanford sports. Known as The Pro, the space is now remodeled and unrecognizable — green accents and wood furnishings dominate the high-end bar and grill. Though their memories are cherished, this new space was adapted to fit the ever-changing standards of downtown’s dining scene.
The Pro reopened in late January, after a four-year period of rebranding from Old Pro. The restaurant is littered with framed photos of sports moments throughout history, bobbleheads of famous athletes and team flags encapsulating The Pro’s past identity as a sports bar. The interior now holds a large bar at its center, an upgrade from the bar previously squeezed into the wall, allowing for comfortable seating at the counter.
Guillaume Bienaimé, the owner of The Pro, first spotted the opportunity to remodel after Old Pro’s closing in 2022. Former owners of Old Pro could not maintain the sports bar, leading to its closure.
“The process started with just reading about the Old Pro closing,” Bienaimé said. “That was the beginning of it all, and this area, and wanting to continue that legacy into the future with a new space.”
Sohiel Azim, assistant general manager of The Pro, said that while the space is completely transformed, memories of Old Pro remain.
Old Pro’s mascot, Bucky the Bull, now sits atop a display, a testament to the bull-riding that shaped the atmosphere of Old Pro. Azim says management still respects the laid-back feel of the old place, recognizing that the updated space is different, but not comparable.
“Old Pro has always been a hallmark of the community, and what we wanted to do was take that and reinvent it and modernize it to what today’s society is,” Azim said.
As the owner of Zola + BarZola, Bienaimé says the process of developing The Pro’s menu was similar to his experience in the past.
The menu includes classic, shareable dishes such as the $22 Game Day Nachos — tortilla chips smothered in cheese, peppers, beans, avocado and salsa. On the other hand, their $23 House Sausage flatbread combines the traditional flatbread experience with Italian sausage, peppers and hot honey.
Azim says that along with the food menu, the drinks menu was designed to fit a wide range of demographics.
“From someone who’s just coming in having a casual Tiki drink to someone coming in having an Old Fashioned, whoever comes in has their spot on the menu,” Azim said.
Longtime customer of Old Pro Eric Ortiz said though the old space had charm, he appreciates that the bustling college atmosphere has settled.
Palo Alto High School physical education teacher Jason Fung has been working at The Pro since its opening.
“It’s a whole different restaurant in itself … serving higher quality food and making sure that we still establish that it is the place to get good food and dine,” Fung said.
Fung said he used to enjoy going to Old Pro to watch a variety of games — especially during March Madness — though he now takes pleasure in seeing familiar faces at his workplace.
Management ensured that pieces from Old Pro remain in The Pro — besides its name, its wooden seating tables are the original tables from Old Pro.
“What we did is we stained, sanded and revitalized it,” Azim said. “All the tables that you see here once were part of the Old Pro, so it was important for us to keep the bones within this place true.”
The Pro is currently working on applying feedback given by customers to work towards fulfilling their goal — to have a space for everyone in the community.
“I can see this place forming and changing seasonally to adhere to the season,” Azim said. “So we’ll see where the journey will take us.”
