Coco's Bakery
Coco's Bakery is a western United States bakery-restaurant chain known for casual dining and pies.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Coco's Bakery is a bakery-restaurant and casual-dining chain associated primarily with California and the western United States. The business traces its origins to The Snack Shop, a restaurant purchased in 1948 on Pacific Coast Highway in Corona del Mar, California, by John and Audrey McIntosh. After expanding the original concept with family partner Bill McIntyre, the operators developed additional restaurant formats and eventually converted the Snack Shop units to the Coco's name in the mid-1960s. The Coco's identity emphasized a combination of casual table service, traditional American meals, and an in-store bakery operation, with pies serving as a defining product and brand cue. The company subsequently became part of a succession of larger restaurant groups. After the Coco's and related Reuben's operations expanded, the business was sold to W. R. Grace and Company and became part of that company's Restaurant Services Division. During Grace's ownership, the restaurant portfolio also included concepts such as El Torito and Carrows. The restaurant business later underwent a leveraged buyout, after which its parent company experienced financial difficulty and entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the early 1990s. Coco's changed hands several more times. In 1996, Coco's and Carrows were sold to Flagstar, the parent company of Denny's, although Flagstar itself filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1997. In 2001, the concepts' then-owner, FRD Acquisition Co., also filed for Chapter 11. In 2002, Coco's and Carrows were acquired by Catalina Restaurant Group, based in Carlsbad, California. Zensho Co., Ltd., a Japanese food-service company that had operated the separate Coco's Japan business, purchased Catalina in 2006. Food Management Partners acquired Catalina Restaurant Group in 2015, and Shari's Cafe & Pies took over the Coco's and Carrows concepts in 2018. Coco's Bakery remains a small regional chain rather than a nationwide restaurant system. The available reference material records two locations in California as of October 2024. Its competitive set includes other California casual restaurants that combine conventional dining with an in-store bakery or pie counter, including Hof's Hut, Polly's Pies, and Marie Callender's. The brand's current identity therefore rests on regional familiarity, accessible American comfort food, and bakery products—especially pies—rather than on broad geographic scale or rapid unit growth.
History
Coco's Bakery developed from The Snack Shop, a restaurant on the Pacific Coast Highway in Corona del Mar, California. John and Audrey McIntosh purchased the business in 1948 after John had worked there for approximately two weeks. Working with Bill McIntyre, John McIntosh's brother-in-law, the owners expanded the Snack Shop concept into a larger local restaurant operation. The group broadened its portfolio in 1960 by expanding into Reuben's in Newport Beach. In 1965, it introduced the Coco's name and the Reuben E. Lee concept. The original Snack Shop restaurants were subsequently converted to Coco's locations. The bakery component became central to the Coco's identity, particularly through the sale of pies alongside a casual-dining menu. Reuben's steakhouse locations were also co-located on some Coco's properties. The expanded operation was later sold to W. R. Grace and Company, a New York-based chemical conglomerate whose Restaurant Services Division owned and developed a number of restaurant concepts. Grace's restaurant portfolio during this period included Coco's, Carrows, El Torito, and other brands. After weak performance, Grace separated 145 restaurant locations through a leveraged buyout involving Restaurant Enterprises Group, a company formed by Grace managers. The resulting parent company sought Chapter 11 protection in late 1993. In 1996, Coco's and Carrows were sold to Flagstar, the parent company of Denny's. Flagstar entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 1997. The concepts later came under FRD Acquisition Co., which filed for Chapter 11 in February 2001. These repeated restructurings shaped Coco's history as a brand frequently transferred among restaurant holding companies rather than operated as an independent public company. Catalina Restaurant Group acquired Coco's and Carrows in 2002. The Carlsbad, California-based group was purchased by Zensho Co., Ltd. in 2006. Zensho had operated Coco's Japan for many years, but the United States Coco's business remained a separate regional restaurant operation. In 2015, Food Management Partners acquired Catalina Restaurant Group from Zensho. In September 2018, Shari's Cafe & Pies was announced as the new operator or owner of the Coco's and Carrows concepts. By October 2024, the available reference described Coco's Bakery as operating two California locations. The chain's reduced footprint contrasts with its earlier history as a larger multi-unit restaurant system. Its current market identity is regional and bakery-led, with pies and other bakery products supporting a casual American dining format. The brand competes with California restaurant concepts that similarly combine table service or counter sales with bakery products, including Hof's Hut, Polly's Pies, and Marie Callender's.
- 2024
Two California locations reported
[1]The available reference material described Coco's Bakery as operating two locations in California as of October 2024.
- 2018
Shari's takes over Coco's and Carrows
[1]Shari's Cafe & Pies was announced as taking over the Coco's and Carrows concepts.
- 2015
Acquisition by Food Management Partners
[1]Food Management Partners acquired Catalina Restaurant Group from Zensho.
- 2006
Catalina is acquired by Zensho
[1]Japanese food-service company Zensho Co., Ltd. purchased Catalina Restaurant Group.
- 2002
Acquisition by Catalina Restaurant Group
[1]Catalina Restaurant Group acquired Coco's and its sister chain Carrows.
- 2001
FRD Acquisition Co. enters Chapter 11
[1]FRD Acquisition Co., the owner of Coco's and Carrows at the time, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
- 1997
Flagstar enters Chapter 11
[1]Flagstar filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection while Coco's and Carrows were within its restaurant portfolio.
- 1996
Sale to Flagstar
[1]Coco's and Carrows were sold to Flagstar, the parent company of Denny's.
- 1993
Restaurant Enterprises Group enters Chapter 11
[1]The parent company created after the leveraged buyout of restaurant locations filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
- 1965
The Coco's concept is introduced
[1]The business expanded into Coco's and the Reuben E. Lee concept, later converting its Snack Shop units to the Coco's name.
Products and positioning
A regional bakery-restaurant brand combining casual American dining with an in-store bakery, with pies as its most distinctive offering.
Bakery products
Pies
Pies are the signature bakery product associated with Coco's Bakery. The brand's name and restaurant format reflect its combination of casual dining with an in-store bakery, where pies function both as desserts served with meals and as products available for bakery-counter purchase.
Bakery
Bakery products
Coco's Bakery restaurants incorporate bakery offerings into the dining experience. The available reference identifies the bakery component, including pies and related desserts, as a defining feature of the concept rather than a separate packaged-goods brand.
Restaurant meals
Casual American dining menu
The restaurant format serves conventional American casual-dining fare alongside bakery products. Detailed current menu specifications are not established in the available reference material, so individual dishes are not listed as confirmed flagship products.
Brand decisions
2018
Shari's takes over the Coco's conceptM&ABackground
Coco's and Carrows were being operated within the portfolio assembled through Catalina Restaurant Group and its subsequent ownership changes.
Action taken
Shari's Cafe & Pies took over the Coco's and Carrows concepts.
Aftermath
Coco's became part of the Shari's Cafe & Pies portfolio and continued as a smaller regional bakery-restaurant brand.
2002
Catalina Restaurant Group acquires Coco'sM&ABackground
Coco's and Carrows had passed through several financially troubled ownership structures.
Action taken
Catalina Restaurant Group acquired both restaurant concepts.
Aftermath
Coco's entered a new period under a California-based restaurant group before Catalina was later sold to Zensho.
1965
Conversion from The Snack Shop to Coco'sStrategyBackground
After developing the original Snack Shop business and expanding into related restaurant concepts, the operators sought a unified identity for the Snack Shop locations.
Action taken
The Snack Shop units were converted to the Coco's name, establishing the bakery-restaurant identity used by the chain.
Aftermath
The Coco's format became the principal successor to the original Snack Shop concept and emphasized pies and bakery products.
Sources1 sources
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