Groceteria.com

Saw this on So Cal Metro's Flickr stream:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/southernca ... 247482014/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/southernca ... 247482011/

Anyone know more?

There was one in Fresno, but it was closed by the time I moved here in 1985. For many years it was "John Pardini's Elegant Greenhouse Restaurant" (That's how it was always referred to in ads, although the sign just said "The Greenhouse Restaurant".) We only went there once that I can remember, and I was very young so I only remember they had a harpist playing while we were eating.


The building is still there, but it has been many things since The Greenhouse folded. It's vacant at the moment, so I probably should take some pictures before it gets seriously remodeled...

There was one in Monrovia on Huntington Drive and the 210 on the north side of the street. It's no longer there. It closed as a restaurant in or before 1987. After the 1987 Whittier earthquake World Vision moved some of the offices into the former restaurant because of damages to their HQ down the street. They also painted it white. I don't know how long they were there or when the building was torn down.

I believe there was also one in Cerritos off of the 605 near Los Cerritos Center.

From various articles in the LA Times archive, there were as many as 21 restaurants in the chain, 14 in California and Nevada. The Summerland store was founded in 1884 though the chain started in 1973. There were restaurants in Montclair, Riverside, Mission Viejo, Monrovia, Cerritos, Garden Grove, and Brea. (I don't know where the others were located.) The founder of the company left and formed his own company and licensed the name on restaurants in Sacramento, Santa Rosa, and Milpitas.

In 1983 the parent company, Great American Restaurants, filed for bankruptcy. The failure was blamed on rapid expansion.

The last restaurant standing was in Garden Grove off the 22 on Trask and Brookhurst.

Sign was taken down for the construction, and can be viewed here with the sign:

REALLY LONG LINK

I know it was gutted out a while back.

runchadrun wrote: The founder of the company left and formed his own company and licensed the name on restaurants in Sacramento, Santa Rosa, and Milpitas.

I'm curious where those locations were, and if they're still standing...

And, the original is closed:

http://www.santabarbara.com/dining/revi ... aurant=823

TheStranger wrote:

runchadrun wrote: The founder of the company left and formed his own company and licensed the name on restaurants in Sacramento, Santa Rosa, and Milpitas.

I'm curious where those locations were, and if they're still standing...

Time to do some investigating ! I wonder if that victorian tea room restaraunt in Orangevalle was one?

The site in Riverside CA is still standing. Off the 91. Near Kaiser Permanente & Castle Park.

The Sacramento one was across the freeway from the Cal Expo fairgrounds on Exposition Blvd., across from what was the Beverly Garland Hotel. I haven't been that way in a while, but I know the Big Yellow House is long gone.

The Monrovia Big Yellow House had their fixtures auctioned in 1986. The address 725 Huntington corresponds to Albertsons. Since it was a restaurant, they obviously had to demolish the building to rebuild as a supermarket.

luckysaver

luckysaver wrote:The Monrovia Big Yellow House had their fixtures auctioned in 1986. The address 725 Huntington corresponds to Albertsons. Since it was a restaurant, they obviously had to demolish the building to rebuild as a supermarket.

luckysaver

Incorrect.

The Albertsons is on East Huntington, the Big Yellow House was on West Huntington. The site was demolished however and is currently an Office Depot (725 W) and a former CompUSA (745 W)

The Brea site was on Imperial Highway @ the 57 freeway.

Currently LUCILLE'S BBQ.

Lucille is making some mighty fine biscuits!

The one in Mission Viejo was just off I-5, halfway between Avery Pkwy and Crown Valley Pkwy, on the east side.

It was my aged Grandfather's favorite place to eat, and he treated all of us to supper there a few times back in the seventies. All I remember is gray roast beef and lots of potatoes served in a corny, manufactured "country" atmosphere, a la Ham's restaurants. (I eat mainly Mexican and Italian, so I was indifferent to the fare at TBYH)

After it closed it became a Bobby McGee's for a number of years. At this point in time, I have no idea what's there or if indeed it still stands. Don't get down that way but once a year these days.