Coco's Bakery facts for kids
| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Genre | Bakeries |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Founder | John and Audrey McIntosh |
| Headquarters | |
| Products | Food |
| Parent | Shari's Management Corporation |
Coco's Bakery is a chain of casual dining restaurants. It is owned by Shari's Cafe & Pies. These restaurants are mostly found in the western United States. As of April 2024, Coco's has 10 locations. You can find them in Arizona and California. Three of these locations are run by other companies as franchises.
Coco's Bakery started way back in 1948. It was first called The Snack Shop. It opened in Corona del Mar, California. Over the years, the company has had many different owners.
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The Story of Coco's Bakery
The first restaurant, The Snack Shop, was bought in 1948. It was located along the Pacific Coast Highway. John and Audrey McIntosh were the ones who bought it. John had worked there for just two weeks before deciding to buy the place!
Growing the Business
John and Audrey worked with John's brother-in-law, Bill McIntyre. They helped The Snack Shop grow. Soon, there were many more locations. In 1960, they opened another restaurant called Reuben's. Then, in 1965, they started changing The Snack Shop restaurants into Coco's. They also opened a new place called Reuben E. Lee. Eventually, all the Snack Shops became Coco's restaurants.
As the name suggests, Coco's Bakery restaurants are famous for their delicious pies. They also have a bakery inside.
Changes in Ownership
After growing the business, the McIntosh family sold it. A large company called W. R. Grace and Company bought Coco's. This company also bought other restaurant chains. These included El Torito and Carrows.
Later, W. R. Grace sold many of its restaurants. A new company, Restaurant Enterprises Group, took over. This group was made up of managers from W. R. Grace.
In 1996, Coco's and Carrows were sold again. This time, Flagstar bought them. Flagstar was the company that owned Denny's restaurants. However, Flagstar faced financial difficulties in 1997.
In 2001, Coco's and Carrows had new owners. This company, FRD Acquisition Co., also faced financial problems.
In 2002, Coco's and Carrows were bought by Catalina Restaurant Group. This company was based in Carlsbad, California. Then, in 2006, a Japanese company called Zensho Co., Ltd. bought Catalina Restaurant Group. Zensho Co., Ltd. had already been running Coco's restaurants in Japan for many years.
In 2015, another company bought Coco's and Carrows. This was Food Management Partners from San Antonio, Texas.
Finally, in September 2018, Shari's Cafe & Pies took over Coco's and Carrows. Shari's is the current owner of Coco's Bakery.
Who Coco's Competes With
In California, Coco's Bakery restaurants have other similar places they compete with. These are casual restaurants that also have a bakery or sell pies. Some of these include Hof's Hut, Polly's Pies, and Marie Callender's restaurants.
