Any rider in Southern California has at least heard of Cook's Corner, most of have been there. It's a "biker bar" located in the trendy digs of Orange County.

At one time, it was located miles from civilization. It was a place where bikers could go to get away from the suburbs and yuppies. It used to be that the cagers avoided the place, fearing the clientele. Not anymore. Now it's in the middle of suburbs, and the yuppies have bought Harleys.

And on top of it all, it's now going to be on television, in a new cable series called "The Real Housewives of Orange County", on the Bravo network. Tomorrow (Nov 13), episode two of the series features a housewife named Tamara Barney, who's giving up her housewife job for a career in real estate. After her appointment with the tanning salon, she hops on the bike and rides to Cook's.

These are supposedly real people.

The last several times I visited Cook's Corner, the essence of RUB has become quite thick. And it's no wonder, the owners of Cook's, who took over only a few years ago, have renovated the place to appeal to a wider clientele, offering tastier grub, a wider array of import beers, and cleaner restrooms. It's now a great place to go on a Sunday afternoon to watch football; all that's missing are the Hooter girls and buffalo wings.

There's an article about how the owners are making it a "nicer place"...
http://www.octhen.com/2005/03/kinder-gentler-cooks-corner.htm

I can't blame them for trying to be successful business owners. It's probably a good thing, because as long as the place earns big profits, it'll be tough to shut it down. Homeowners there are already complaining about the motorcycle noise.

Cook's Corner isn't the only biker bar turning rubbie. Earlier this year, the Screamin' Chikin Saloon in Devore came under new ownership, who's cleaning up the place, and making it more profitable. The same thing with The Hideout Saloon in Lake Henshaw, though still under the same ownership, they just fixed some stuff up.

Part of it lies with local health codes. As the clientele increases, the health department takes a greater interest in protecting public safety. That means the "dings" that these biker bars used to get away with, they can no longer get away with. It's gotta be cleaner, safer, and healthier.

But hanging out at a rubbie biker bar isn't that bad actually. For the most part, you can still drink a beer in peace. The problem is when you drop the "F bomb" too loud, and a rubbie mom looks at you nasty because she brought her kids along.

Labels: Cook's Corner, Rich Urban Bikers

An article written by Los Angeles Times writer Daniel Yi describes changes taking place at Cook's Corner. If you're not familiar with Cook's Corner it's a road house located in Orange County, California. Bikers from Los Angeles, San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, and other parts around, make Cook's Corner a riding destination.

A few months ago, it was bought by a couple of Greek business partners. They've replaced the paper plates with dishes, hired a new cook, and apparently improved the pastrami sandwich.

According to the article, they:

are focused on cleaning up the place. They've ordered 170 new barstools, and the graffiti-ridden bathrooms are next in the list of improvements.

"We are keeping it the same," said Katelaris, "but making it nicer."

Labels: Cook's Corner