Ruby's Diner

The idea for Ruby's Diner was born in 1980 after a run on the beach. Doug Cavanaugh had just returned to his native Southern California after successfully restoring and running a restaurant on Nantucket Island off Cape Cod. One evening he was brainstorming about business opportunities with his father, and remembered that he had seen a dilapidated building at the end of Balboa Pier while jogging along the beach. "Although the building is in pretty bad shape now, its architecture really lends itself well to that of a 1940's diner. I wonder if I could get the place from the city and turn it into a diner that would bring back the fun and nostalgia of that era?" he said. With his father's encouragement, Cavanaugh started to make the restaurant a reality.

Nearly a full year and $80,000 later, Ruby's diner opened on December 7th, 1982 with three employees and a simple, straight-forward diner menu of hamburgers, hot dogs and malts. Much to her surprise, the tiny 45-seat restaurant was named after Cavanaugh's mother, Ruby.