Ruby's Diner

On 7 December 1982 Doug Cavanaugh and Ralph Kosmides opened a diner in a converted bait shop at the very end of the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach. The two of them worked the grill and the till, and took $63 on the first day. They named it after Cavanaugh’s mother, Ruby; her likeness is in the logo, and a copy of her high-school graduation photo hangs next to the register in every branch.

The look is a 1940s and ’50s diner, and for a while the chain liked to sit on piers: there were Ruby’s at the end of the piers in Huntington Beach, Malibu, Oceanside and Seal Beach, all since closed. In the 2010s it tried a counter-service, 1960s Googie-style spin-off called Ruby’s Dinette, which did not work and was reversed, and in 2018 the company went through bankruptcy. The original pier diner is still open, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean.

The menu is classic American diner: burgers on a toasted brioche bun or wrapped in lettuce, always with fries, a patty melt on grilled rye, Nathan’s hot dogs, fish and chips, big salads and hand-blended shakes. Most burgers come with lettuce, tomato and the house Ruby’s Burger Sauce, and the cheese is usually two slices rather than one. Breakfast, with buttermilk hotcakes and eggs Benedict, is served too.

About a dozen diners, mostly in Southern California, plus Reno, Henderson and the Las Vegas airport.

• Carl's Jr. (United States, since 1941). Charbroiled burgers, onion rings inside the bun, and ads nobody forgot. Also built on beef, bacon, barbecue sauce and crispy onions.
• Red Robin (United States, since 1969). The sit-down burger chain with bottomless fries and a burger topped with a fried egg. Also built on beef, bacon, barbecue sauce and crispy onions.
• Shake Shack (United States, since 2004). A hot dog cart in a New York park that turned into a global burger chain. Also built on beef, bacon, a special sauce and cheese.
• Bareburger (United States, since 2009). An Astoria burger bar that put elk, bison and organic beef on the same menu. Also built on beef, bacon, crispy onions and a special sauce.