John’s and Josh’s Favorite Eatery-

Wool Growers in Los Banos Enjoyed by NFL Greats Madden and Allen

Los Banos Basque restaurant, the Wool Growers, was one of many favorite eating establishments of the late NFL coach and analyst John Madden.  It is also a favorite of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.  

Lost in the many tributes and obituary pieces on the late John Madden was a connection he had to Merced County.

The former coach and retired television personality who died in December 2021, loved eating at the Wool Growers Restaurant in Los Banos.

Known for his hundreds of thousands of miles logged on the road in his custom-made bus (he hated airplanes), Madden had a lust for life both as a Super Bowl-winning coach and an Emmy-winning sports analyst.

He also had an appreciation for food and had favorite restaurants all around the United States.  Traveling from city to city to cover football games gave him exposure to where some of the best places to eat were in practically every region of the nation.

But his home base was the Bay Area, and one of his favorite places to eat was right here in Merced County.

“I hear people talking about him eating here,” says Wool Growers co-owner Ruth Reynosa who along with her daughter Talisa Vander Poel took over running the place a few years ago.  “He was a customer before we started here.”

Wool Growers Restaurant at 609 H Street in Los Banos is a family style French Basque establishment.   Photo:  Wool Growers Restaurant Facebook page.

As my writing colleague Tom Frazier stated in his Merced County Times column earlier this year, Basque country straddles the border of Spain and France. 

Many of the Basque people raised sheep and have been coming to California for over a century.  

The Wool Growers Restaurant began in late 1800s.  Specialties include roast lamb, pork chops, and baked chicken.  It is also known for a lamb stew that customers have enjoyed for years.

I ate lunch there once in the mid-2000s and immediately called my wife to let her know I would not be eating dinner.  That midday meal at the Wool Growers was filling.

“Running a restaurant is not easy,” Ruth says.  “Running it together with my daughter is much better this way as you need to trust your business partner.”

Daughter Talisa agrees.  “This place is set up family-style, our customers are like family, so it makes sense that a family runs it.” 

The interior of Wool Growers is set up for family style dining.  Photo:  Wool Growers Restaurant Facebook page.

While there are apparently no pictures of John Madden dining at the restaurant, Ruth shared one photo that was on Reddit.com showing what appears to be the back of his head wearing a Wool Growers hat. 

There’s also a reference to his affection for the place in a Sports Illustrated profile.  

Ruth says many people observed him at the restaurant on several occasions

.  “One customer who remembers him eating here told us he enjoyed the ambiance of the place,” Ruth says.  

Buffalo Bills quarterback and Firebaugh native Josh Allen dines at Wool Growers when he visits family in the off-season.  He’s flanked here by owners Ruth Reynosa and Talisa Vander Poel.  Photo:  Wool Growers Restaurant Facebook page.

That appreciation of the family atmosphere of Wool Growers seems to have been passed on to a new generation of NFL greats.  

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, a native of nearby Firebaugh, enjoys eating there when he’s in the area visiting family.

“He usually comes by in the weeks after the Super Bowl,” Ruth says.  “He likes our lamb stew and the last time he was here a few months ago he had a New York strip steak.”

Ruth and Talisa are happy their restaurant touched John Madden enough for him to keep coming back year after year. 

Now with Josh Allen making Wool Growers a regular stop when he visits during the off-season, both owners hope to see more of him in the coming years.

They hope all their customers feel the same way.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced. 

His book A Bundle of Memories combines two memoirs along with thirty pages of new material. 

The book is available at Lulu.com.  It is also available via author search on bookshop.org where each purchase helps independent book store owners.