Ruby's Diner

Ruby's Diner is a restaurant chain aesthetically designed after American diners of the Swing Era. Ruby's Diner serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a menu that includes classic American diner fare of hamburgers, French fries, chili and milkshakes along with soups, salads and sandwiches. As of March 2019, Ruby's Diner operated at a total of 32 locations, including 26 in Southern California, one in Arizona, two in Pennsylvania, one in New Jersey, and two in airports in Houston and Las Vegas.[1][2]

Ruby’s Diner
TypePrivate
IndustryRestaurant
FoundedDecember 7, 1982 (1982-12-07)
Newport Beach, California, U.S.
FounderDoug Cavanaugh, CEO
Ralph Kosmides, Chief administrative and development officer
HeadquartersIrvine, California, U.S.
Number of locations
32
Area served
Arizona, California, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Nevada, New Jersey, and Texas
ParentRuby Restaurant Group
Websitewww.rubys.com

While the basic decor remains the same for every Ruby's Diner, creative touches are added to many 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.

The locations that are opening in 2020 are Fort Lauderdale, Pittsburgh, Dallas, and Seattle.

History
Interior Ruby's Diner Huntington Beach at sunset
Ruby's dinner, Newport.

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 $63.[3]

The original Ruby's Diner on the Balboa Pier

Ruby's Diner has locations on the historic Southern California piers of Balboa Pier, Huntington Beach Pier and Oceanside.[4] 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.[5][6]

Ruby's Diner at the end of the Huntington Beach Pier

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 shopping mall in National City, California.[7][8]

On 20 January 2020, Ruby's Diner closed at Suburban Square after nearly 25 years.[9]

Since 13 March 2020, all restaurants had to abandon in-room dining to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. There's still take-away & pick-up service available.

Origin of the Ruby girl

Ruby[2] was the mother of founder Doug Cavanaugh. The Ruby girl cheesecake character was derived from a photograph taken of her while cheerleading for Fremont High School in Los Angeles.[10] In recognition of Ruby, every Ruby's Diner location has a picture of Ruby's high school graduation picture near the cash register.

See also

References
  1. "Ruby's Locations". Ruby's Diner. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  2. "Ruby Cavanaugh, namesake of Ruby's Diner, dies at 93" Orange County Register, December 29, 2015
  3. "The Hottest 25 People of Orange County: Doug Cavanaugh". Cover Story. OC Metro. 31 October 2002. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 2020-02-20. The then-26-year-old, new-to-the-restaurant-business guy[Doug Cavanaugh], along with his Foothill-Tustin High School buddy, co-founder and CFO Ralph Kosmides, saw potential. They thought Ruby's - named after Cavanaugh's mother - would be an interesting "hobby." The 35-seat diner, opened in December 1982, rang up $700,000 in sales ($63 on day one), on a first-year projection of $150,000.
  4. Lindsay William-Ross, "Ruby's Shake Shack Opens on the Historic Malibu Pier" Archived 2009-08-31 at the Wayback Machine, LAIST Food, July 5, 2009
  5. Rocha, Veronica; Mozingo, Joe (May 20, 2016). "Fire destroys old Ruby's Diner and damages Seal Beach Pier". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 21 May 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-21. Flames erupted Friday morning at Seal Beach Pier, destroying the old Ruby’s Diner and sending a column of smoke over the area. The fire began just after 7:30 a.m. at the end of the pier in the 900 block of Ocean Avenue in Seal Beach. Flames were spotted under the pier, with fire extending to the abandoned restaurant, said Capt. Larry Kurtz of the Orange County Fire Authority.
  6. Kurzweil, Anthony; Pamer, Melissa; Romero, Lynette; Yost, Chip (May 20, 2016). "Fire Tears Through Old Ruby's Diner Building on Seal Beach Pier". KTLA 5. Archived from the original on 21 May 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  7. Brents, Phillip (September 27, 2013). "Midcentury modern concept rolls out with first Ruby's dinette at Westfield Plaza Bonita". The Star News. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  8. Harvey, Katherine P. (September 23, 2013). "Ruby's Diner launches 1960s-themed dinettes". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on 16 June 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2016. The Ruby Restaurant Group, an Irvine-based company that operates iconic 1940s-themed diners in six states, rolled out a new dinette concept at Westfield Plaza Bonita this month. The new quick-serve eatery, which has a 1960s theme, features a new menu of higher-end fast food, such as kale Caesar salad and peppadew and portabello melts, alongside burgers with Applewood bacon and Swiss cheese on artisan buns.
  9. Klein, Michael (21 January 2020). "Goodbye, Ruby's Diner at Suburban Square in Ardmore". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  10. Broughton, Suzanne (7 April 2010). "Ruby's Diner opens carhop in Anaheim". OC Family: Alive in Wonderland. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. That's right, Ruby is a real person. She is the mom of Doug Cavanaugh, Ruby's founder and CEO. So Ruby is an OC mom, just like us. No wonder we love her so much! Broughton, Suzanne. Ruby's Diner Carhop Anaheim on YouTube
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