Biff's Coffee Shop (Demolished)
Oakland, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Yes, Biff's Coffee Shop certainly belonged among Oakland’s classic coffee shops. Opened in 1963, the round building featured a glittery flying-saucer roof, broad glass windows, and the unmistakable coffee shop style of architects Armet & Davis.
Biff’s operated around the clock and even had a telephone or intercom at every booth. The restaurant closed in 1996, leaving its futuristic shell sitting vacant on Oakland’s Auto Row. Used cars eventually filled the surrounding lot, but the coffee shop remained easy to spot.
Here's a shot of the Biff's back when it was still open 24 hours as a coffee shp. Check out the googie building and font.
Biff's (Old Image)
Oakland, CA Photo courtesy Bill Jackson
When Chevron proposed replacing Biff’s with a McDonald’s in the late 1990s, the Save Biff’s group gathered more than 7,000 signatures and temporarily rescued the building from that big coffee shop in the sky. Unfortunately, the victory did not last forever.
UPDATE: Unfortunately the former Biff's Coffee Shop was demolished. Apartment buildings will take its place. 04-16
UPDATE: After nearly two decades of vacancy and preservation battles, Oakland approved demolition in April 2016. Biff’s was torn down and replaced by a seven-story apartment development containing 255 units. 09-26
Pancake Circus
Sacramento, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Step right up to Pancake Circus on Broadway in Sacramento. The towering sign, giant neon clown, and circus lettering make this one difficult to pass without at least slowing down for a look. Inside, red booths, circus murals, hanging clowns, and display cases filled with clown figurines keep the show going.
The restaurant opened in 1961 as Al & Bud’s Platter, a 24-hour stop for steaks, burgers, and pancakes. It later became Pancake Parade before adopting the Pancake Circus name around 1980. Fortunately, the circus theme was not handled with restraint.
UPDATE: Pancake Circus remains open daily for breakfast and lunch. The Muni family continues operating the restaurant, and its vintage building, clown-filled interior, and wonderful roadside sign are still intact. 09-26
Dave's Coffee Shop (Gone)
Oakland, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
The fun sign for Dave’s Coffee Shop pointed the way toward a tiny Oakland diner with only six counter stools and three booths. Check out the dancing chef carrying a steaming cup of coffee. He appears mighty cheerful, perhaps because he never had to wait for a seat.
Dave’s opened in 1930 and eventually became a 24-hour stop for cab drivers, shift workers, students, and Broadway regulars. The little building sits at a sharp angle to the street because it followed an old rail line once used to haul rock from a nearby quarry.
The diner ended around-the-clock service in 1995 but continued serving breakfast and lunch for several more years. Its final meals were served on Easter Sunday in 2004, ending a 74-year run.
UPDATE: Dave's is (was) in Oakland, CA. I had the pleasure of working at both Biff's and Dave's in the 80's. They don't make em' like that anymore! Many thanks to Penny Magalong for update. 09-10
UPDATE: The dancing-chef sign was removed around 2008 or 2009, and its fate is unknown. The unusual triangular building remained standing but boarded and vacant, with redevelopment proposed for the property and adjoining lots. 09-26
It's Tops Coffee Shop (Gone)
San Francisco, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Check out It’s Tops Coffee Shop, a Market Street flashback to the days when a neighborhood diner was the place for a hot meal at nearly any hour. The towering blue neon sign promised “Awesome Hot Cakes,” which is a pretty confident claim to make 18 feet above the sidewalk.
The cafe opened in 1935 and became It’s Tops during the 1940s. Inside were knotty-pine walls, vinyl booths, counter stools, and working tabletop jukeboxes. Bacon-stuffed waffles, burgers, patty melts, and milkshakes kept the place busy, sometimes as late as 3:00 in the morning.
UPDATE: It’s Tops closed in March 2020 and the Chapman family made the closure permanent that June, ending 68 years of family ownership. The 900-pound neon sign was carefully removed and placed into private storage for preservation. 09-26
Mels Bowl Restaurant (Demolished)
Redwood City, CA Photo courtesy Jason Carlton
Here’s the sign above the restaurant at Mels
Bowl in Redwood City. The slanted lettering appears to have once been outlined in neon, giving hungry bowlers another glowing invitation after working up an appetite on the lanes.
Mel Weiss, co-founder of the famous Mel’s Drive-In chain, developed the 40-lane bowling center and restaurant in 1960. AMF purchased the operation in 1969 and renamed it Redwood Lanes, but the towering Mels Bowl sign remained outside. Not surprisingly, locals continued using the old name for the next four decades.
The restaurant served as more than a snack counter, with diner booths, an open counter, and late-night comfort food for league bowlers and motorists traveling along El Camino Real.
UPDATE: The Mel's Bowl was demolished in 2012 after closing down the year prior. to make way for a 141-unit apartment complex. The sign was saved. 11-11
UPDATE: Mels Bowl closed on May 8, 2011, and the complex was demolished in 2012 for an apartment development. The large roadside Mels Bowl sign was restored and relocated to the Redwood City Car Wash, but the fate of the smaller Restaurant sign is unknown. 09-26
Denny's Restaurant
Redwood City, CA Photo courtesy Jason Carlton
Sneak a peek at this classic old sign for Denny’s Restaurant in Redwood City. The tall pole and familiar geometric shape come from the days when a coffee shop sign was designed to catch motorists from well down the road. The neon has since been replaced with illuminated plastic panels, but the vintage structure still does its job.
The restaurant itself is just as interesting. It retains the boomerang-shaped roofline and angled trim associated with the classic Denny’s coffee shop designs created by Armet & Davis. Located at Broadway and Woodside Road, the building was positioned to capture traffic traveling along Highway 84 and through the Peninsula.
Denny's Restaurant
Redwood City, CA Photo courtesy Jason Carlton
During the late 1990s and 2000s, many older Denny’s locations were remodeled into shiny faux-1950s diners with stainless-steel siding and checkerboard decorations. This Redwood City location escaped most of that “dinerization,” leaving its authentic mid-century coffee shop bones visible. Why imitate the 1950s when the original building is already sitting there?
UPDATE: The Redwood City Denny’s remains open around the clock, and its vintage building and modified pole sign still survive. In February 2026, the city authorized acquisition of the property for future public transit and infrastructure improvements, placing the restaurant’s long-term future in doubt. 09-26
Pancake Circus
Dave's Coffee Shop (Gone)
It's Tops Coffee Shop (Gone)
Denny's Restaurant
Denny's Restaurant
