Snack Shop becomes restaurant empire

John Reuben McIntosh and Audrey Forrow were both Marines at MCAS El Toro when they met. They married, and after leaving the Marine Corps they both started working in restaurants. In 1948, they both landed jobs at a restaurant on Pacific Coast Highway in Corona Del Mar -- John as a cook and Audrey as a waitress. They were there only two weeks when a kitchen fire caused a lot of damage and the owner decided to sell the place. The couple went to Audrey's father, John McIntyre, and asked him for a loan so they could buy it. Instead, he went into partnership with them. Together, they bought the place for $3,000.

The little restaurant, with only two tables and 10 counter seats, reopened on Oct. 19, 1948 as the first Snack Shop restaurant. Today, it still stands as the northern portion of what is now Ruby's Diner. (See photo above.)

Snack Shop #3, at 17th St. and Flower, Santa Ana. (Now El Pico de Gallo Grill.)

It was so popular and successful that a second Snack Shop opened in 1950 on South Main Street in Santa Ana. And by 1960 the chain had grown to include eleven coffee shops.  The McIntosh's remained very hands-on about their business. John is said to have been very detail oriented, and Audrey created many of the recipes and designed the decor and staff uniforms.

(Click on the menu to enlarge.)

Thinking beyond coffee shops, they also opened the first Reuben's restaurant in 1960. Snack Shops and Reuben's were just the beginning of the Far West Services company, which ultimately included such restaurants as Coco's (1965), Isadora's, Moonrakers, The Plankhouse, The Sandpiper, The Mooring, Baxter Street (dinner theater), The Whaler, The Reuben E. Lee, and more. At the top of their game, Far West was serving meals to 45,000 customers a day.

The Reuben E. Lee restaurants , in particular, were real landmarks, housed in what appeared to be old paddle wheel boats in Newport Harbor and on Harbor Island in San Diego. The one in Newport was dismantled in 2007.

But for some reason the original Snack Shop chain seems to hold the most memories for Orange Countians. Over at OC Then, nostalgia runs heavy for the Snack Shops' Nui Nui Burger and Chile Size. Here's a partial list of former Snack Shop locations:

• Westcliff Plaza, 17th and Irvine, Newport Beach
• 2323 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu, Hawaii (shown in photo above)
• Pacific Coast Highway at MacArthur, Corona del Mar
• South Main St., across from the old Sears, Santa Ana
• Chapman Ave. at Shaffer, Downtown Orange (shown in photo below)
• 17th St. at Flower, Santa Ana
• Huntington Beach

Eventually, all the Snack Shops were turned into Coco's. Coco's, in turn, was ultimately sold to the Catalina Restaurant Group, which now also owns Carrow's.

Disneyland carbeque, 1961

 

A friend of mine found these photos, which someone had appearantly thrown away. These images were captioned, "As I got off work one afternoon, I saw smoke from the D[isneyland] parking lot." The fire took place right on the side of the lot facing Harbor Blvd. Can you identify any of the businesses in the background? The Saga Inn (featuring the Lancer's Restaurant) and the Charter House Hotel can be seen in the photo above. The motel in the background of the photo below seems to have a Middle Eastern motif.

Fun in San Juan Capistrano

Here's an image of Downtown San Juan Capistrano from the Orange County Archives, showing just what kind of place it was in the 1950s. If you're a bit confused about the exact location, remember that The Swallows Inn had not yet moved to the other side of Camino Capistrano.

Random related story: I'm told that some decades ago Lindy Curry, Jim Sleeper and a few others tried to drum up an Orange County chapter of E. Clampus Vitus. It was to be called the "Swallows Chapter" -- not in honor of Capistrano's famous Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, but rather for the (in)famous Swallows Inn. Presumably, the place inspired them. Anyway, the idea never came to fruition and Orange County is still part of the Platrix Chapter, which includes Los Angeles.

Speaking of San Juan Capistrano,... The S.J.C. Historical Society will hold their annual barbeque on Sept. 11, 3pm, at Amates Campground on the Rancho Mission Viejo. (Head out of town toward the mountains on the Ortega Highway and it will be on your right. Watch for a sign!) Tri-tip, beans, salad, dessert and soft drinks will be served. $20 per person. Call (949) 493-8444 or contact museum@capistranohistory.org for more information or to RSVP. I attended last year, had a great time, and have been looking forward to going again all year. (Why can't they do this more often?!?) However, I already have plans for the 11th and can't go. Please go and enjoy the day (and the tri-tip) in my stead.

Pacific Beach Club, Trabuco General Store, etc.

Next week I'm giving a talk about the rise and fall of the Pacific Beach Club, which once stood between Huntington Beach and Newport Beach. It's a tale of the early civil rights movement in Southern California. It's also a mystery involving Roaring '20s con-men, the KKK, towering Egyptian architecture, bathing beauties, and arson.  This program will be the Orange County Historical Society's "season kick-off" program, held at Sherman Gardens, 2647 E. Pacific Coast Hwy, Corona del Mar, Sept. 8, 6:30pm.

The program is free and open to the public. The event will begin at 6:30pm with an appetizer/dessert potluck (bring enough of something for six people if you'd like to participate). The program will begin at 7:30pm. Hope to see you there!

Want to own your own piece of back-country charm? The Trabuco General Store (1940) is now up for sale. Details appear in the Register.

Casa Romantica's aforementioned "Salute To Hollywood" exhibit opened this evening. Admission is $5. As I mentioned before, it will include some materials and artifacts of movies shot in Orange County from the recent O.C. Archives exhibit.

Marine One, Diedrich Coffee, First American, etc.

One of the more interesting things to see at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda is the presidential helicopter, Marine One, used by Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford. It's the same copter Nixon left the White House in the day he resigned. For a vehicle that size, the interior feels surprisingly cramped. But from the limed oak paneling to the retro carpeting to the ashtrays and Modern seats, it really feels like you're visiting the 1960s. The Heritage Museum of Orange County (remember our friends at the Kellogg House?) are now sponsoring a Speakers Series, and some of the talks sound pretty interesting. For starters, on Sept. 11th, Martin Diedrich will talk about the history of coffeehouses in Orange County, and on Oct. 9th, Parker S. Kennedy, Executive Chairman of First American Financial Corp. will talk about his company's long history and its dedication to preserving Orange County's heritage. I'm interested to hear both!

Been to check out the photos on the Orange County History Flickr group lately? (With over 4,000 images!) What could it hurt?

Bozo's Birthday at Knott's Berry Farm

No, there's no excuse for this post, except that I'm tired. And at some point I was bound to post this stupid image I saved from an eBay auction. Warning: Creepy clown in Buena Park!

I believe this is Vance Colvig, Jr. appearing as KTLA's version of Bozo the Clown. He was the son of the original Bozo, Pinto Colvig. (Insert your own joke about your least favorite politician being "the original Bozo *HERE*.)

Orange book, Gordie Duane, Civil War roots, etc.

Phil Brigandi's brand new book, A Brief History of Orange, California: The Plaza City, is now available for preorder from The History Press' website. The Chamber of Commerce should buy a big stack and give one to everybody who moves to town.

Today's photo shows Orange City Hall in 1921. The current City Hall is at the same location, on Chapman Ave. Boy, if I had a nickel for every time somebody told me how much more they liked the old city hall...

News from Sunset Beach: Famed local surfer and surfboard maker Gordie Duane just passed away. Barbara Haynes of the Huntington Beach Historic Resources Board writes, "he had the first surfbord shop under the Huntington Beach Pier. Then, after a fire, it was moved to the corner of 13th and PCH." Read more in the Surfers Journal.

Want to help with a Civil War genealogy project? Hal Horrocks of the Orange County California Genealogical Society (OCCGS) writes, "We have taken it upon ourselves to do the genealogies of all 500+ civil war vets buried in O.C. The project will probably take from 2 to 4 years to complete. Would it be possible to make an announcement ...about what we are doing and see if anyone might be interested in helping?" Contact Hal via email if you'd like to lend a hand. (Note: This project builds on the great work already done by Charles Beal, Gordon Bricken and their associates.)

Thanks to my readers for all the comments, suggestions and information you send along -- both digitally and in person. Writing this blog is fun, but it's a lot more fun with your input. As our attentive reader (spammer), Cheap Louis Vitton Bags put it recently, "We would find much happiness in reviewing the past."

Home Savings of America

I hear there's an effort underway to have ALL the old Home Savings buildings in Southern California -- as a group -- declared historical landmarks. I've never heard of a group classification like this, but I think these buildings are quite deserving. Why? Mainly because of the work Millard Sheets and the artists working under him applied to these buildings, both inside and out. Sheets was one of California's most important artists, and these buildings remain an amazing way to share art (and often history) with the people of this sprawling Southern California metropolis.

Adam Arenson runs a fascinating blog on this subject. Go and spend a couple hours reading.

Closer to home, artist Kevin Kidney of the Anaheim Historical Society is promoting the restoration of the fountain and John Edward Svenson sculpture, "Child on Dolphin," in front of the old Home Savings (now Chase Bank) at Harbor and Lincoln in Anaheim. The work was commissioned in 1970. The photo at the top of today's post shows the whole facade of the building shortly after it opened.

When Kevin says something should be restored, it's not just a passing thought. He and the also-enormously-talented Jody Daily have restored more than a few works of public art including the beloved Mr. Bali Hai statue at the Bali Hai Restaurant in San Diego.

I love the fact that these buildings and their art are finally getting the recognition they deserve. How refreshing and surprising, considering our reputation in Southern California, that they haven't been torn down already.