Popular SLO County diner is closing after 25 years. ‘It’s time to let it go’
Larry Puder first worked for Coco’s Bakery Restaurant in 1972, when he was 14 years old.
More than five decades later, Puder, 66, is saying goodbye to his own Coco’s franchise in Pismo Beach after 25 years of operation.
The restaurant’s last day was Wednesday.
Puder purchased the restaurant, which was open for breakfast and lunch and known for its pies, when he moved to the Central Coast in 1997 as the restaurant chain was beginning to franchise.
“We had 23 great years, but (COVID-19) kicked our butt,” Puder said. “It didn’t kill us, but it kicked our butt and (got) me to the point where I’m old enough now (to say) that ‘OK, it’s time to let it go.’”
Puder said in 2023, making a restaurant successful has become harder than ever.
“I just wanted to gracefully shut (the restaurant) down (and) let someone else give it a chance, because I had a great 50 years in the restaurant business,” Puder said.
Rising costs hurt Pismo Beach restaurant
Rising food costs, including diner essentials like eggs, made the restaurant business too expensive for Puder, he said.
With the price of some foods as much as three times what they cost prior to the inflation that started in 2022, Puder said to stay in business, he would have to pass those costs on to his customers, who were made up of seniors, families and Cal Poly students,
“Some businesses will still find a way, but I just couldn’t justify raising my prices for my clientele,” Puder said. “It wouldn’t suit them.”
The closure of the Pismo Beach restaurant is also a product of the changing nature of the Coco’s chain.
At its peak, Puder said, Coco’s Restaurant Bakery had around 300 locations across the southwestern United States. Now, it’s down to around 70.
“I wanted to be the last man standing, but then I thought, ‘Well, why?’” Puder said. “I’m having a hard time getting product and getting support from the company, so the timing was right.”
Looking back on his years running Coco’s locations in Pismo Beach and Rancho Mirage, Puder said meeting both famous and “meaningful” people was one of his favorite parts of running a restaurant.
From World War II veterans who fought at D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge to celebrities — such as Lou Ferrigno, Willie Mays, Don Drysdale, Red Skelton and Betty Ford, to name a few — Puder said meeting fascinating people was a highlight of his job.
“What’s so interesting is getting to know people that have been successful or gotten through life,” Puder said. “I’ve met a lot of movie stars and rock stars and sports stars over the years.”
Puder said his tenure at the restaurant gave him 25 years of long-lasting working relationships.
Many of Puder’s staff, he said, have worked with him for nearly his entire tenure as owner, which his son, Kevin Puder, said “speaks to the management and ownership, which (Larry Puder) doesn’t give himself enough credit for.”
Coco’s was also the home to many of Puder’s favorite family memories, he said. All four of his children worked there with him at one time or another, he said.
His daughter, Bailey Puder, called the closing of Coco’s a “big deal for our whole family, and the community as well.”
“We were all raised in this restaurant, and (have) lots of amazing, amazing memories,” she said. “Some of the best memories I think we all have with our dad are here — the stories, the laughs, the holidays, the everything.”
This story was originally published February 16, 2023 at 5:30 AM.
