Ruby's on Huntington Beach Pier closes —

Ken Jones

Administrator
Staff member
#1
Sad news. Anyone familiar with the restaurant on the Malibu Pier (owned by the new owners) know that it's a very expensive place).

https://www.ocregister.com/2021/02/...gton-beach-pier-will-close-forever-on-friday/

Orange County Register, Susan Christian Goulding, February 25, 2021


The Ruby’s at the end of Huntington Beach Pier will close forever on Friday.
A fixture for the community is slated to become a seafood restaurant.

A fixture on the tip of the Huntington Beach Pier for a quarter of a century, Ruby’s Diner will close its doors permanently on Friday, Feb. 26.
“The facility was purchased by a new ownership group out of a bankruptcy proceeding,” Huntington Beach City Manager Oliver Chi said Thursday night.

Operators of the Ruby’s Diner, then a 32-restaurant chain, filed for bankruptcy in 2018. “It’s our understanding that the restaurant location will be closed while the new ownership group works through permitting efforts,” Chi said. The new restaurant will feature seafood on its menu, he added.

In 1996, Ruby’s replaced The End Cafe – which plummeted into the ocean during a 1988 storm that battered the pier. Thanks to its stunning location, reasonable prices and fun 1950s and tiki decor, Ruby’s quickly became a favorite among locals and beyond. “I went on dates with my husband there, both before and after we were married,” said Huntington Beach resident Anna Child. “We took our children to Ruby’s all the time.”

The Huntington Beach Ruby’s served as an everyman’s oceanfront restaurant, Child said: “It was a beautiful place to go that wouldn’t break the bank.”
Child heard rumors Thursday and telephoned the restaurant to verify. “They confirmed that, yes, it’s true,” she said. “I felt like crying.” On Facebook Thursday, dozens of Ruby’s fans exchanged plans to meet up at the diner on its final day. Chi said the new owner is Alexander Leff, who also operates concessionaire locations on the Malibu Pier.

Ruby’s main financial problems began in 2012, when it borrowed money to buy out disgruntled partners.
Huntington Beach owns the Ruby’s building. However, Chi said, the city did not play a role in identifying a new tenant due to the bankruptcy proceedings.
 

Ken Jones

Administrator
Staff member
#3
I hate to see any place close. People need jobs and anglers need a place to buy coffee, a hamburger, or a milk shake as the case may be.

They will probably replace it with an expensive fish restaurant that will not have anything for the anglers.