La Rue Steaks (Demolished)
Emeryville, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Along San Pablo Avenue in Emeryville, the marquee for La Rue Steaks made its specialty easy to spot. A steakhouse sign like this could catch your eye from the road and have you thinking about dinner before you reached the next corner.

La Rue Restaurant and Bar occupied the ground floor of the old Hotel Ritz building near 59th Street. The space had first been the Grand Central Cocktail Lounge before becoming La Rue, giving that corner another place for a meal and a drink. The sign out front became part of the busy roadside scene.

There's more history to the building than its steak dinners, but it's the marquee that draws attention in this photo. It belonged to a stretch of San Pablo Avenue where signs competed for a glance from passing drivers.

UPDATE: La Rue closed, and the Hotel Ritz building was later demolished. The sign disappeared with the old site, which is now occupied by Avalon Senior Housing. 09-26

Pring's Sea Food
CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Here's a bright roadside sign for Pring's Coffee Shop & Bakery in San Leandro. One side advertised “Sea Food” beside a happy cow, which raises a fair question about what the cow thought was for dinner. Turn the sign around and there was a chicken, too. Pring's had plenty of personality out by the road.

Johnny Pring opened the coffee shop in 1951 with just a dozen counter stools. It grew into a larger restaurant and bakery, serving breakfasts, pies, and other home-style meals to generations of customers along East 14th Street. The big rotating sign made sure drivers knew where to find it.

UPDATE: The Pring's restaurant in San Leandro is still in business as far as I know. The restaurant has good home cooking, and sweet, or ornery classic "Flo" type waitresses. The pies and pastries are to die for! The place is like walking right into to 50's or 60's. Many thanks to John from Carson City for update. 04-05

UPDATE: The building is still there and possibly the sign, but it is now an Italian Restaurant. The old Pring's is no more. Many thanks to Christine Safieddine for update. 09-06

UPDATE: Pring's closed around 2002 or 2003. Another restaurant briefly occupied the building, but the old diner and its rotating sign are gone. The cow's whereabouts remain a mystery. 09-26

John's Grill
San Francisco, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

The neon sign for John's Grill reaches out over Ellis Street in San Francisco, making a pitch to anyone walking by: steaks, seafood, cocktails. The arrow points the rest of the way. After dark, the glowing letters can catch your eye well before you get to the door.

John's Grill opened in 1908 and has had plenty of time to become part of the downtown scenery. It even made its way into The Maltese Falcon, where Sam Spade stops in for dinner. A detective looking for a meal could do worse than follow that arrow.

Inside are dark wood, booths, and walls crowded with photographs. Outside, the neon keeps doing its job, inviting another round of hungry pedestrians to look up as they pass.

UPDATE: John's Grill is still open, and its sign still hangs above Ellis Street. The next time you're nearby, take a look up before heading in. 09-26

Ole's Waffle Shop
Alameda, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

The neon at Ole's Waffle Shop in Alameda reads like a menu hanging over Park Street: steaks, hot cakes, waffles, and hamburgers. If the name had you thinking only about breakfast, the sign has a few more ideas. It's a bright invitation to look up, then head inside hungry.

Ole's opened in 1927 and has spent nearly a century feeding Alameda. Generations have stopped in for a waffle or a meal at the counter, while the neon outside keeps listing the choices for anyone passing by. There's no mystery to the pitch. Pick something that sounds good and come on in.

UPDATE: Ole's Waffle Shop is still open, and its neon remains on Park Street. The next time the lights catch your eye, you can still go inside and order something advertised right above the door. 09-26