Coco's Bakery facts for kids
| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Genre | Bakeries |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Founder | John and Audrey McIntosh |
| Headquarters | |
| Parent | Shari's Management Corporation |
Coco's Bakery is a chain of restaurants in the western United States known for its delicious pies. It's a type of casual dining restaurant, which means it's a relaxed place to eat a meal. Coco's is a subsidiary, or a part of a larger company called Shari's Cafe & Pies.
As of late 2024, there were 5 Coco's locations, all in California. The restaurant's story began way back in 1948 with a small shop called The Snack Shop in Corona del Mar, California. Over the years, the company has been owned by several different groups.
Contents
The Story of Coco's
From The Snack Shop to Coco's
The journey of Coco's Bakery started in 1948. A couple named John and Audrey McIntosh bought a small restaurant called The Snack Shop on the Pacific Coast Highway. John had only worked there for two weeks before they decided to buy it!
John and his brother-in-law, Bill McIntyre, worked together to open more Snack Shops. In 1960, they also started a new steakhouse restaurant called Reuben's. By 1965, they decided to change the Snack Shops into a new concept called Coco's, which focused on fresh-baked pies. All the Snack Shops were renamed Coco's.
Changing Owners Over the Years
After their success, the founders sold their restaurants, including Coco's and Reuben's, to a large company called W. R. Grace and Company. This company owned many different types of businesses, including other restaurant chains.
Over time, a company's financial health can change. Sometimes, a business might face money troubles and need to reorganize. This happened a few times in Coco's history.
- In 1996, Coco's was sold to Flagstar, the company that also owned Denny's restaurants. A year later, Flagstar had to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which is a way for a company to get help with its financial problems while it keeps running.
- In 2001, the new owners of Coco's also had to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to help the business recover.
In 2002, a new owner, Catalina Restaurant Group, bought Coco's and its sister restaurant, Carrows. Four years later, in 2006, a Japanese company named Zensho Co., Ltd. bought Catalina. Zensho already ran a chain of Coco's restaurants in Japan. See also ココスジャパン [ja] (Coco's Japan Co., Ltd).
The ownership changed again in 2015. Finally, in 2018, it was announced that Shari's Cafe & Pies had taken over Coco's, bringing the company under its current ownership.
Competition
In California, Coco's Bakery competes with other family-friendly restaurants that are also famous for their bakeries and pies. Some of its main competitors include Hof's Hut, Polly's Pies, and Marie Callender's.
