Du-par's
An American diner and restaurant brand founded in Los Angeles in 1938, known for pancakes, bakery products, and its long-running Farmers Market location.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile yet.
Overview
Du-par's is an American diner-style restaurant brand founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1938 by James Dunn and Edward Parsons. The name combines the founders' surnames. The business became associated with classic Los Angeles diner culture and developed from a single restaurant into a modest regional chain, with locations primarily in Southern California and later in the Las Vegas area. The original Du-par's remains at the Los Angeles Farmers Market in the Fairfax District. This location is the brand's principal surviving historical site and has helped preserve its identity as a traditional coffee-shop and pancake-house restaurant. Du-par's has generally been associated with all-day diner fare, including pancakes, breakfasts, sandwiches, burgers, soups, baked goods, and other casual American meals. Its restaurant-bakery format has also been used in casino and hotel locations. For much of its later history, the chain was owned by the Oberst family. In 2004, after approximately two decades of Oberst family ownership, the chain was sold to an investment group led by W. W. "Biff" Naylor, the son of California restaurateur Tiny Naylor. At the time of the transaction, Du-par's had three locations: the Farmers Market restaurant, a Studio City restaurant, and a Thousand Oaks restaurant. The Thousand Oaks site had a much longer history but ultimately closed and was demolished in 1991 for redevelopment, before the 2004 sale. Du-par's pursued expansion during the late 2000s and 2010s. In 2009, it acquired or occupied several former Bakers Square locations after that chain's bankruptcy. The expansion included sites such as Oxnard and San Diego, although these restaurants did not remain open permanently. In 2010, Du-par's entered Nevada with a restaurant-bakery at the Golden Gate Casino in Las Vegas. A second Las Vegas-area site opened at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino in 2016. The Golden Gate operation closed in February 2017 for financial reasons, while Boyd Gaming later assumed management of the Suncoast restaurant under a licensing arrangement that preserved the Du-par's name and recipes. The brand also briefly attempted wider geographic expansion. In 2012, Naylor rebranded a Hamburger Hamlet in Bethesda, Maryland, as Du-par's Hamburger Hamlet, creating an East Coast outpost. That restaurant closed in 2013. Other Southern California openings and conversions included a Pasadena restaurant and an Encino location, but several of these sites subsequently closed. The Studio City restaurant ended operations in 2017. In 2018, former manager Frances Tario purchased the chain. The COVID-19 pandemic placed additional pressure on the remaining restaurants. When California restrictions prohibited indoor dining in 2020, the Farmers Market restaurant experimented with take-home pancake batter and later introduced carhop service to generate sales. The Pasadena location closed during the pandemic. The surviving operations were described as the historic Farmers Market restaurant in Los Angeles and the Du-par's restaurant at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino in Nevada. The brand's cultural profile has extended beyond food service: Du-par's has been associated with the conception of the television series Twin Peaks by David Lynch and Mark Frost, has appeared in the television series Bosch, and is mentioned in Michael Connelly's novel The Fifth Witness.
History
Du-par's was established in Los Angeles in 1938 by James Dunn and Edward Parsons. Its name was formed from the two founders' surnames. The original restaurant at the Los Angeles Farmers Market in the Fairfax District became the brand's enduring landmark and remains the best-known Du-par's site. The business later developed into a modest regional chain. The Oberst family owned Du-par's for roughly twenty years before selling it in 2004 to an investment group led by W. W. "Biff" Naylor. Naylor was the son of California restaurateur Tiny Naylor, whose restaurant interests included Biff's and Tiny Naylor's. At the time of the sale, the chain had three locations: the Farmers Market restaurant, Studio City, and Thousand Oaks. The Thousand Oaks location had closed after 31 years and was demolished in 1991 for construction of a new shopping center. Expansion accelerated in the late 2000s. In 2009, Du-par's added several former Bakers Square locations following that chain's bankruptcy. The Oxnard restaurant later closed in August 2012. A San Diego location in the Midway district closed in September 2015, reopened in the Gaslamp Quarter in August 2016, and closed again in February 2017. Du-par's entered Nevada in 2010 with a restaurant-bakery at the Golden Gate Casino in Las Vegas. A second Nevada-area restaurant opened at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino in April 2016. The Golden Gate operation closed on February 7, 2017, for financial reasons. In March 2017, Boyd Gaming, the Suncoast owner, entered a licensing arrangement under which it assumed management of the Suncoast restaurant while continuing to use the Du-par's name and recipes. The chain also tried to expand beyond its California base. In 2012, Naylor rebranded a Hamburger Hamlet in Bethesda, Maryland, as Du-par's Hamburger Hamlet, but the restaurant closed permanently in 2013. In 2014, Du-par's took over a former Hamburger Hamlet site in Pasadena. A new Encino location opened in May 2015 and closed in November 2016. The Studio City location closed on December 31, 2017. In 2018, former manager Frances Tario acquired the chain. The COVID-19 pandemic created severe operating challenges. After California prohibited indoor restaurant dining, the Farmers Market location attempted to maintain revenue through take-home pancake batter and carhop service. The Pasadena restaurant closed as a result of the pandemic. The remaining operations were identified as the Farmers Market restaurant and the Suncoast Hotel and Casino location. Du-par's has also appeared in popular culture. David Lynch and Mark Frost reportedly developed the concept for Twin Peaks while having lunch at a Du-par's on Ventura Boulevard; the show's fictional Double R diner has a similar cultural function. Du-par's was featured in Amazon Studios' Bosch, and the Studio City restaurant is mentioned in Michael Connelly's 2011 legal thriller The Fifth Witness.
- 2020
Pandemic operating adaptations
[1]The Farmers Market restaurant introduces pancake-batter pickup and carhop service during restrictions on indoor dining.
- 2018
Frances Tario acquires Du-par's
[1]Former manager Frances Tario becomes the chain's owner.
- 2017
Golden Gate location closes
[1]The Golden Gate Casino restaurant closes in February for financial reasons.
- 2016
Suncoast location opens
[1]A second Las Vegas-area location opens at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino in April.
- 2010
First Nevada restaurant opens
[1]A Du-par's restaurant-bakery opens at the Golden Gate Casino in Las Vegas.
- 2009
Expansion through former Bakers Square sites
[1]Du-par's expands by adding several locations associated with the bankrupt Bakers Square chain.
- 2004
Oberst family sells the chain
[1]After approximately two decades of ownership, the Oberst family sells Du-par's to an investment group led by W. W. Naylor.
- 1991
Thousand Oaks location closes and is demolished
[1]After 31 years, the Thousand Oaks restaurant closes and is demolished for redevelopment of the site.
- 1938
Du-par's is founded in Los Angeles
[1]James Dunn and Edward Parsons establish the restaurant and combine their surnames to create the Du-par's name.
Products and positioning
A heritage Los Angeles diner and pancake-house brand centered on traditional American comfort food, bakery offerings, all-day dining, and recognizable California restaurant history.
Breakfast
Pancakes
Pancakes are one of Du-par's signature offerings and a central part of its identity as a Los Angeles pancake house and diner. During the COVID-19 period, the Farmers Market restaurant also sold pancake batter for customers to take home.
Casual dining · 1938
Diner-style American meals
Du-par's serves traditional American diner fare associated with all-day casual dining, including breakfast dishes, burgers, sandwiches, soups, and related lunch and dinner items.
Bakery
Bakery offerings
Several Du-par's locations have operated as restaurant-bakeries, pairing the brand's diner menu with baked goods and supporting its positioning as a casual breakfast and coffee-shop destination.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020Pandemic carhop and pancake-batter service
Los Angeles, California
The Farmers Market restaurant responded to pandemic restrictions that prevented indoor dining by testing take-home pancake batter and adding carhop service.
Outcome. The measures were intended to support business during a period of sharply reduced restaurant operations. The Pasadena location nevertheless closed during the pandemic.
Brand decisions
2018
Transfer ownership to Frances TarioM&ABackground
The chain underwent another ownership transition after a period of site closures and geographic retrenchment.
Action taken
Former manager Frances Tario purchased Du-par's.
Aftermath
The business continued with a substantially smaller operating footprint, centered on the historic Farmers Market restaurant and the Suncoast location.
2017
License the Suncoast operation to Boyd GamingStrategyBackground
After the Golden Gate Casino restaurant closed for financial reasons, the Suncoast location required a new operating arrangement.
Action taken
Boyd Gaming assumed management of the Suncoast restaurant through a licensing agreement while retaining the Du-par's name and recipes.
Aftermath
The arrangement allowed a Du-par's-branded restaurant to remain at the Suncoast property without direct operation by the chain.
2010
Enter the Nevada marketStrategyBackground
Du-par's had historically operated in California and sought to extend its restaurant-bakery model beyond the state.
Action taken
The brand opened a restaurant-bakery at the Golden Gate Casino in Las Vegas.
Aftermath
The Golden Gate restaurant closed in February 2017, while a later Suncoast location continued under a licensing and management arrangement with Boyd Gaming.
2009
Expand through former Bakers Square locationsStrategyBackground
The bankruptcy of Bakers Square made several restaurant sites available for a possible expansion of the Du-par's footprint.
Action taken
Du-par's added several former Bakers Square locations, including sites in Oxnard and San Diego.
Aftermath
The expansion did not prove permanent for all sites: Oxnard closed in 2012, while the San Diego operation closed in 2015, briefly reopened in 2016, and closed again in 2017.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/du-pars · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled