Neighbors rally together on Nextdoor to help Palo Alto mainstay remain open

Midtown neighborhood staple 

Mike’s Diner Bar has been a go-to for locals in the Midtown neighborhood of Palo Alto for 29 years. The business recently expanded and continues to be a neighborhood favorite with rave reviews over the food and atmosphere. 

When the business recently faced possible eviction due to a one day late rent payment, neighbors stepped in. 

Len Filppu has been friends with the owner, Mike Wallau, for 35 years, and was determined to help the business remain open. Len immediately contacted the city and made the community aware of the situation by turning to Nextdoor.

Nextdoor’s solutions

Mike’s Diner Bar has been voted a Nextdoor Neighborhood Fave winner for the past two years and, when this situation unfolded, the impact the restaurant had on the community was quite evident. 

When Len began posting about the business’s eviction on Nextdoor, he never anticipated receiving such a large response.

“Nextdoor proved to be kind of a mainstay in all of this because it generated a lot of comments,” Len said. “Nextdoor seemed to be a key for us to reach our local neighbors.” 

The awareness the posts created encouraged an extremely large public response and now Len said he will continue to utilize Nextdoor to encourage neighbors to support local businesses and promote all the community has to offer. 

“I was pleasantly surprised with the reach and interaction that Nextdoor provided.”

Results

Thanks, in part, to his posts on Nextdoor, Len was able to get over 1,500 petition signatures and, because of the support of local customers and neighbors, the building owners are allowing Mike’s Diner Bar to remain open. 

“It felt phenomenal,” owner Mike Wallau said. “We didn’t think there would be that kind of support.”

How to make your Nextdoor Business profile and start posting

Are you ready to promote your business and become a Nextdoor Neighborhood Fave winner like Mike’s Diner Bar?

1. Visit https://business.nextdoor.com/local and click either 'Sign up for Free' or 'Claim Your Free Business Page'.
2. Make a new account, or log in to an existing one, using the same email and password as your new business page. If on a mobile device, the account you're currently using will be linked to the business page.
3. Choose whether or not to link your business and personal Nextdoor accounts. This allows switching between accounts without needing to log out. If sharing access with employees, avoid linking your personal and business accounts. 

•   To create a separate business account, select 'Sign Up' under the green login button.
•   To link your new business account with your personal account, sign in with your personal account credentials.
•   To add another business page to an existing business account, sign in with your existing business account credentials.

After creating an account and claiming your business page, you can now post:

• Log in to your claimed Nextdoor Business Page.
• Head to the Posts tab of your business page.
• Select the + icon next to 'Create Post' and click the pencil icon to  'Create Post'.
• Enter text for your post.
• Add media, an event, or a poll to your post (optional).
• Click Post.

Join Nextdoor today, claim your business page, and start engaging with your local community to spark your business growth!