Ruby's Diner
Ruby’s Diner is a California-based U.S. chain of casual dining restaurants founded in 1982. The original location was a converted bait shack at the end of Balboa Pier in Newport Beach. The restaurants are designed with a retro 1940s/1950s atmosphere. As of 2023, most locations are in Southern California, but there are also locations in Atlantic City, New Jersey and in the Las Vegas airport.[1]
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Genre | Casual dining |
| Theme |
|
| Founded | December 7, 1982 Newport Beach, California, U.S. |
| Founders | Doug Cavanaugh Ralph Kosmides |
| Headquarters | Irvine, California, U.S. |
Number of locations | 17[1] |
Area served | California, Nevada, and New Jersey [1] |
Key people | Doug Cavanaugh, CEO Ralph Kosmides, Chief administrative and development officer |
| Parent | Ruby Restaurant Group |
| Website | www |
History
The first Ruby's Diner opened on December 7, 1982, in a converted bait shop at the end of the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach, California. On that day, founders Doug Cavanaugh and Ralph Kosmides worked the grill and the cashier station and earned a total of $63.[2] The restaurant was named after Cavanaugh's mother, and her likeness appears in the logo and other advertising material; a copy of her high school graduation photo is placed next to the register in every location.[3][4]
The original Ruby's diner location still stands at the end of Balboa Pier. The restaurant formerly operated further pier locations in Huntington Beach, Malibu, Oceanside, and Seal Beach, but these locations have since been closed.[5][6][7][8][1]
In the 2010s, Ruby's experimented with converting some locations, including Costa Mesa, to a fast casual 1960s Googie theme called "Ruby's Dinette", a change that included ordering at the counter rather than at the table. The experiment was dubbed a failure, and the locations were converted back to the original format.[9]
Ruby's filed for bankruptcy in 2018, and a franchisee provided a cash infusion. Cavanaugh and Kosmides were sued in 2021 by a bankruptcy court trustee, who accused the pair of loaning themselves money from Ruby's and using Ruby's personnel while pursuing other business ventures.[10][11]
References
- "Locations". Ruby's Diner. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- "The Hottest 25 People of Orange County: Doug Cavanaugh". Cover Story. OC Metro. October 31, 2002. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
- "Ruby Cavanaugh, namesake of Ruby's Diner, dies at 93" Orange County Register, December 29, 2015
- Broughton, Suzanne (April 7, 2010). "Ruby's Diner opens carhop in Anaheim". OC Family: Alive in Wonderland. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011.
That's right, Ruby is a real person. She is the mother of Doug Cavanaugh, Ruby's founder and CEO.
Broughton, Suzanne. Ruby's Diner Carhop Anaheim on YouTube - Szabo, Matt (February 26, 2021). "Ruby's Diner at end of Huntington Beach Pier serves its last shake". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- Lindsay William-Ross, "Ruby's Shake Shack Opens on the Historic Malibu Pier" Archived August 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, LAIST Food, July 5, 2009
- Kragen, Pam (March 3, 2021). "Ruby's Diner on Oceanside Pier announces permanent closure". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- "Iconic Ruby's Diner on Seal Beach Pier to Close". KTLA. January 4, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- Luna, Nancy (March 15, 2015). "Ruby's Diner scraps fast-food style experiment in Costa Mesa". Orange County Register. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- Lansner, Jonathan (September 6, 2018). "Ruby's Diner operator files for bankruptcy protection, seeks partnership with mall developer". Orange County Register. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- Romeo, Peter (March 12, 2021). "Ruby's Diner founders are hit with a lawsuit over 2018 bankruptcy filing". restaurantbusinessonline.com. Retrieved April 25, 2023.