Coco's Bakery
| Subsidiary | |
| Genre | Bakeries |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Founder | John and Audrey McIntosh |
| Headquarters | Carlsbad, California |
Area served | Los Angeles |
| Parent | Zensho |
| Website |
www |
Coco's Bakery is a chain of casual dining restaurants operating in the western United States. As of 2015, it operates 57 restaurants out of California, Arizona, and Nevada. It began as The Snack Shop in 1948 in Corona del Mar, California, and had switched owners multiple times.
Locations
As of 2015, the chain operates 57 restaurants in California, Arizona, and Nevada according to the company's website.
History
In 1948, The Snack Shop along the Pacific Coast Highway in Corona del Mar, California, was purchased by John and Audrey McIntosh. John and Audrey decided to purchase the restaurant after he had worked there for only two weeks. They grew the snack shop concept to many more units and then in 1960 expanded the business into Reuben's in Newport Beach. Then in 1965 expanded the Snack Shop concept to Coco's and the Reuben E. Lee. Ultimately converting all Snack Shops into Coco's. As the name implies, the bakery-restaurants feature pies. After the conversion of the Snack Shops to Coco's location, as well the newly expanded Reuben's steakhouse franchise that were co-located on Coco's properties, the entire operation was sold to W.R. Grace & Co., a New York chemical conglomerate, as part of its Restaurant Services Division. During this period of Grace ownership, Grace also added local Mexican restaurant chain El Torito, Carrows and many others.
After years of poor performance, W.R Grace spun off 145 restaurant locations in a leveraged buyout to Restaurant Enterprises Group, a company composed of Grace managers.[1][2] In 2002, Coco's, along with its sister chain Carrows, was purchased by Catalina Restaurant Group, headquartered in Carlsbad, California. In 2006, Catalina Restaurant Group was bought by Japanese company Zensho Co., Ltd., which has operated Coco's Japan for many years.[3]
In 2015 San Antonio, Texas based Food Management Partners acquired Carlsbad, California based Catalina Restaurant Group Inc., parent of the Coco’s and Carrows concepts, from Zensho Co., Ltd..[4] See also ja:ココスジャパン(COCO'S JAPAN CO., LTD).
Competition
In California, Coco's Bakery Restaurant and her sister chain Carrows generally compete with other local casual restaurants with an in-store bakery (or at least a sales counter), such as, Hof's Hut, Polly's Pies and Marie Callender's restaurants. To a lesser degree, Coco's competes with many casual, fast-food, and 24-hour chains and restaurants within its stores' general locations. Denny's restaurant used to compete with Coco's by selling "Mother Butler Pies" until 5 years after their sale to Edwards Baking.
References
- ↑ Hayes, Scott. Orange County Magazine. Emmis Communications. Retrieved 2014-03-07.
- ↑ Horovitz, Bruce (February 12, 1986). "W. R. Grace Will Sell 124 Units in Restaurant Group". Los Angeles Times. Times-Mirror Corporations. Retrieved 2014-03-07.
- ↑ Catalina Restaurant Group Announces Merger with Zensho America Corporation
- ↑ Underperforming Coco’s and Carrows restaurants shuttered