Westlake Coffee Shop
“Daly City Diner”
1790 Sq Ft
1901-D Junipero Serra Blvd
Daly City, CA 94014
The “Daly City Diner” had been in business for over 60 years in the same location, until it was forced to relocate. The new location is situated beneath a multiplex movie theater complex in Daly City. The design task was to create a diner that maintained the feeling of the old space for the loyal customers, some of whom have been coming since it originally opened, while giving it a fresh and modern feel for the new location and costumer base, all for $110 per Sq ft.
The owners emigrated from South Korea to pursue the American Dream. This restaurant was their life’s work. After being told they could not renew their lease, they were devastated. The community was outraged. In 14 days, 800 signatures were gathered to save the restaurant. They presented their situation to the Daly City City Council. The Mayor and Vice Mayor of Daly City, worked very hard to help find a new location for the restaurant in Pacific Plaza in Daly City. All of this happened within one month’s time.
The owners had a very limited budget, as they were not earning income once the original location was closed. The design moves were essentialized to get the most architecture and affect for the money. The small and efficient commercial kitchen is wrapped in locally produced grey duo-tone Heath tile. The counter, which is a main feature of diners, is a band of light grey ceasarstone that wraps to form the cashier area, and folds up the wall to become a display shelf. Everything below the shelf is stainless steel for ease of cleaning. A row of deep amber, hand-blown glass pendants with Edison bulbs, hang directly above the counter. In order to help maintain the budget, the vintage stools and booths from the original location were reused, and reupholstered in burgundy leather, and the bases of the booths were clad in warm toned Doug Fir. 2’ x 1’ grey porcelain floor tile help to unify the restaurant.
The resulting space is clean and modern, yet pays tribute to traditional American diners. It continues the rich tradition of modern design in Daly City from people like Henry Doelger and Mario Ciampi. It preserves a Daly City institution while transforming it for new generations.