Popular East Bay restaurant founder dies in freak accident in Mexico

PLEASANTON, California – A popular East Bay restaurant owner was killed in a freak accident while attending a racing event in Mexico — Jim Goff’s family says he left a lasting impact on them and the community.

“Loving, caring, hard-working. Just the best father you could ask for,” said Dustin Goff, one of Goff’s two sons.

His four children gathered Thursday to remember their father at the restaurant in Pleasanton that Jim founded almost 30 years ago.

They were devastated by their sudden loss; He died on November 14.

“I want everyone to know who he was and the impact he made,” Dustin said.

The family shared photos, including a photo of Goff taken a few hours before he was killed.

The 60-year-old actor was in Baja, California, Mexico, with a group of friends to watch the annual Baja 1000 off-road race.

There is a video posted on social media by Frontera, a Mexican news agency, that shows a truck going out of control in a mechanical inspection area.

The truck hit several people and killed two bystanders.

One was Goff.

“I was in shock, shock,” said James Goff, the oldest of his four children. “He was the person we looked up to, so it’s very difficult.”

The family did not want to talk about the accident.

They wanted to focus on his legacy.

His son Dustin took over operation of Jim’s Restaurant in 2020.

There is now a small monument in his honor.

Goff was active in the community.

She donated food and volunteered her time cooking for 4-H members at the Alameda County Fair.

Goff also renovated rooms for children with life-threatening illnesses for the nonprofit organization Children of Hope.

“We went to that area,” said Goff’s daughter, KT Balch.

He had participated in the same race with his father in the past.

The family shared photos of Goff at previous races.

He retired from racing nearly a decade ago but still enjoyed the sport.

But most of all, Goff loved his family and his community.

“It was a lot of fun. We always had a lot of fun,” KT said

Now Goff’s family is keeping his memories alive in many photos and videos, including the one of him dancing.

“You couldn’t help but smile when you were around him. He had charisma. There was something about him that drew people to him,” James said.

In addition to his children, Goff was also grandfather to six grandchildren, with one on the way.

His family is still working on funeral preparations.

Amber Lee is a reporter at KTVU. Email Amber at [email protected] or call/leave a message at 510-599-3922. Follow her on Facebook @AmberKTVU, Instagram @AmberKTVU or Twitter @AmberKTVU