Ruby's Diner is a restaurant chain aesthetically designed after American

diners A diner is a small, inexpensive restaurant found across the United States, as well as in Canada and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a com ...

of the

Swing Era The swing era (also frequently referred to as the big band era) was the period (1933–1947) when big band swing music was the most popular music in the United States. Though this was its most popular period, the music had actually been aroun ...

. It first opened on December 7, 1982 by Doug Cavanaugh and Ralph Kosmides. Ruby's Diner serves

breakfast Breakfast is the first meal of the day usually eaten in the morning. The word in English refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night.Anderson, Heather Arndt (2013)''Breakfast: A History'' AltaMira Press. Various "typical" or "t ...

, lunch and dinner, with a menu that includes classic American diner fare of hamburgers,

French fries French fries (North American English), chips (British English), finger chips ( Indian English), french-fried potatoes, or simply fries, are '' batonnet'' or ''allumette''-cut deep-fried potatoes of disputed origin from Belgium and France. Th ...

, chili and

milkshake A milkshake (sometimes simply called a shake) is a sweet beverage made by blending milk, ice cream, and flavorings or sweeteners such as butterscotch, caramel sauce, chocolate syrup, fruit syrup, or whole fruit into a thick, sweet, cold mixture ...

s along with soups, salads and sandwiches. To date, Ruby's Diner operates a total of 20 locations. 16 are located in Southern California. The remaining four are located in the states of Texas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Nevada respectively."Ruby Cavanaugh, namesake of Ruby's Diner, dies at 93"
Orange County Register, December 29, 2015 While the basic decor remains the same for every Ruby's Diner, creative touches are added to some locations by developing modified themes to fit the local area. For example, the Ruby's AeroDiner in Laguna Hills (located near the former El Toro Marine Air Base) has a collection of miniature World War II aircraft that "fly" through the restaurant on a track.

History

The first Ruby's Diner opened on December 7, 1982, in a converted bait shop at the end of the

Balboa Pier The Balboa Pier is one of two piers in the city of Newport Beach, Orange County, California. The other ocean pier on the Balboa Peninsula is the Newport Pier. The Balboa Pier was constructed in 1906 as a sister project of the Balboa Pavilion. The ...

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. Ruby's Diner has locations on the historic Southern California piers of

& Oceanside. A former Ruby's Diner at the end of the Seal Beach pier, which was closed in 2013, was destroyed by a fire on May 20, 2016. In late February 2021, another at the Huntington Beach Pier had shut down. Huntington Pier Terminus

In 2013, Ruby's Diner introduced Ruby's Dinette, a 1960s themed fast casual concept, and began opening restaurants under this name and style starting in the

Westfield Plaza Bonita Westfield Plaza Bonita commonly known as Plaza Bonita and Plaza is a shopping mall located in National City, California, and is owned by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield. Anchor stores at the center include Macy's, JCPenney, Crunch Fitness, Target, Nordst ...

shopping mall in National City, California.
On January 20, 2020, Ruby's Diner closed at Suburban Square after nearly 25 years. On September 8, 2020 the

Redondo Beach Redondo Beach (Spanish for ''round'') is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located in the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area. It is one of three adjacent Beach Cities, b ...

location also shut down. From mid-March 2020 to March 2021, all restaurants had to abandon in-room dining to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. There was still take-away & pickup service available. April 2021 saw most restaurants open patio dining besides in-room dining, provided the tables are separated for social distancing.

Origin of the Ruby girl

Ruby Cavanaugh, the mother of founder Doug Cavanaugh was the inspiration for the restaurant name and its logo. The Ruby girl cheesecake character was derived from a photograph taken of her while cheerleading for Fremont High School in Los Angeles. In recognition of Ruby, every Ruby's Diner location has a copy of Ruby's high school graduation picture near the cash register.

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.rubys.com 1982 establishments in California Companies based in Irvine, California Diners in the United States Hamburger restaurants Restaurant chains in the United States Restaurant franchises Restaurants established in 1982 Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018

History

Origin of the Ruby girl

See also

References

External links