 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Genre | Casual dining |
| Theme |
|
| Founded | December 7, 1982; 43 years ago (1982-12-07) Newport Beach, California, U.S. |
| Founders | Doug Cavanaugh Ralph Kosmides |
| Headquarters | Irvine, California, U.S. |
Number of locations | 13[1] |
Area served | California, Nevada, and New Jersey[1] |
Key people | Doug Cavanaugh,CEO Ralph Kosmides,Chief administrative and development officer |
| Parent | Ruby's Hospitality Group IP, LLC |
| Website | www |
Ruby's Diner is a California-based U.S. chain ofcasual dining restaurants founded in 1982. The original location was a converted bait shack at the end of theBalboa Pier inNewport Beach. The restaurants are designed with a 40s, 50s and 60s atmosphere. As of 2024, most locations are inSouthern California, but there are also locations inAtlantic City, New Jersey, and inHarry Reid International Airport.[1]
The first Ruby's Diner opened on December 7, 1982, in a converted bait shop at the end of theBalboa Pier inNewport 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 inHuntington Beach,Malibu,Oceanside, andSeal Beach, but these locations have since been closed.[5][6][7][8][1]
In the 2010s, Ruby's experimented with converting some locations, includingCosta Mesa, to afast casual 1960sGoogie 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]
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 onYouTube
