Built in 1968 another piece of San Luis Obispo restaurant history is about to go by the wayside as a former Dennys next to Hwy 101 will be transformed into a car wash. The building on Calle Joaquin – off the Los Osos Valley RD offramp – has been a classic roadhouse coffee shop for decades operating as a Dennys, a waffle shop,and as the SLO Coast Dinner to name some. Its been vacant for a while now.
It will catch your eye still due to that wavy roof line popular in the 1960s designed to get speeding motorists attention so they pull off for a “Grand Slam”,country fried steak or hamburger.
Now the place will be reborn as a car wash once it is approved by the city Architectural Review Commission November 17. The building is being remodeled by AuzCo Development LLC and architect George Garcia who is proposing to keep the 60s roof style with its single crown and sheet metal fascia. But instead of those red leather seats they will put in a car wash tunnel with sheet metal projections added at both ends. The car wash will also feature a dog spa wash at one end so both the Chevy and Fido can get a scrubbing.
Why did this place fail as a restaurant? For starters people are not going out for a big breakfast so much any more.Beyond that a Yelp posting from 2013 raises the visibility issue.
“I spoke to one person about what I think is the biggest problem here – the fact that despite being right next to a major highway, SLO Coast Diner has no exposure, due to extensive overgrowth of trees and shrubs. The woman I spoke with said that the local city will not allow them to cut the brush down, and will not have it done themselves, and the city gave no reasons why. What?! How does that help the local economy? Makes no sense to me and I told her they should get a petition going for locals to show support for the business.”
This part of the city is now SLO’s auto row with the dealers and car service places.Now the interchange will be widened. But there is no public car wash nearby and certainly not one with a nostalgic roof top like this.
