Coco’s Restaurant in Brea shut its doors for good on Wednesday, Oct. 16 after 45 years in business at the corner of Imperial Highway and State College Boulevard. An employee at another location confirmed the restaurant’s closure.
The Brea Coco’s served the community since 1979, according to the restaurant’s business license.
Beaverton, Oregon-based Shari’s Management Corporation, which own’s Coco’s, wouldn’t respond to questions as to why the Brea Coco’s closed. Shari’s, according to KGW8, has faced troubles in recent months, including “unpaid bills, back taxes and eviction notices.”
The California-born restaurant chain Coco’s started out as a small burger and pie shop in Corona del Mar called Snack Shop in 1948, which was purchased by John and Audrey McIntosh. The husband-wife duo, as noted in Audrey’s 2009 obituary, later grew the Pacific Coast Highway eatery into Far West Services, the parent company of Snack Shops, Coco’s and Reuben’s, among others.
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By 2021, Coco’s had more than 70 restaurants in the western United States including California, Arizona and Nevada. Today, per Coco’s website, only five Coco’s remain standing in Garden Grove, Mission Hills, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands and Upland.
On social media, regular patrons of the Brea Coco’s lamented the loss of the chain bakery-restaurant eatery.
“I loved their prime rib and broccoli cheese soup, so sad,” commented one former customer on Brea Now, while another diner reminisced, “This spot has been a frequent throughout most of my life. Used to have shakes and fries with my parents and another family after we played tennis in high school.”
Once-thriving chain restaurants have struggled in recent years as diners’ tastes have changed, opting for more ingredient- and chef-driven fare. Most notably, El Torito closed several of its decades-old locations in less than two years, including spots in Orange, Westminster and Dana Point.
No word yet on what, if anything, will replace the Coco’s. Brea has seen several eateries close over the last year, including Taps, Corner Bakery and Corazon Taste of Mexico.
