This book was just okay. As someone who is a foodie I was really interested in this book. Unfortunately, this book didn’t do much for me. Some restaurants had a lot of information and it flowed nicely, but others were written really poorly. It almost appeared like two different people were writing these sections. The author included a lot of information that wasn’t relevant to the history of the restaurant and I would have to go back and reread because I was so lost.

An enjoyable romp through some of America’s well-known chain restaurants, “Made in California, Volume 2” by George Geary looks at 50 more restaurants that have gotten their start in California and spread beyond their original confines.

Some of the names will be well-known to anyone who has ventured in suburban America, from The Cheesecake Factory to Panda Express to Chuck E. Cheese (yep, that also started in California!). Others, such as Spires Family Restaurant, Numero Uno Pizza (definitely NOT Pizzeria Uno), and Farmer Boys have not gotten national recognition or are only found in specific areas. And there are even some that have come and gone, maybe to be resurrected someday.

Mr. Greary does a good job providing some history, even timelines of their growth and expansion/collapse, as well as interviews with the founders and their descendants. It is obvious that Mr. Greary and his interview subjects both care about and are proud of the restaurants their families founded. It is unfortunate to see how many of these concepts have been purchased by corporations and (in many cases) changed beyond their original intention.

An interesting read, although less so for the restaurants that I didn’t know. At times it felt as if I was reading from the “about us” section of the restaurant website, especially when they were discussing their commitment to quality ingredients or customer service or some other slogan. But I did learn some things I didn’t know before.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Turner Publishing Company, Prospect Park via NetGalley. Thank you!

This book, “Made in California Volume 2” by George Geary, is like a regional history for a foodie. The full subtitle says it all: “The California-Born Burger Joints, Diners, Fast Food & Restaurants That Changed America 1951-2010.” Whew, there’s a lot of information on a wide variety of businesses. Cookies, yogurt, pizza, burgers, tacos–you name it! You’ll find interesting backstories on founders, product recipes, locations, philosophies, and some downfalls. It was also fascinating to learn the evolution of the brands, how they absorbed other brands or products, or how they fell by the wayside and were absorbed. There are a lot of success stories in this book, more than a few failures, and a bunch of food service history. If you are from the Golden State or live there, you might want to settle into a comfy chair and check this book out.

This is well written, fascinating, and a fun read. A continuation of the first volume of restaurants started in California, this details chains/stores that were founded from 1951 (Hof's Hut) to more recent ones like Pinkberrry in the 2000s.

There are 50 restaurants profiled from all over California, though the majority are from Los Angeles and a few from San Francisco. Several of the restaurants have common origins (e.g., Mrs. Fields and Chevy's Mexican Food both started in Pier 39 of San Francisco) or currently share common owners (such as Landry's owning several now). And some started life as one thing (Rusty Pelican) and then became something else (Bubba Gump's). Some are even the result of opportunity: e.g., a restructuring of the Glendale Galleria mall in 1983 that turned a defunct Orbach's department store location into a food court prompted the Glendale Galleria people to see if a local Chinese restaurant would like to do a fast food version - Panda Express.

I greatly enjoyed reading about the restaurants. I knew nearly all of them and it was surprising to learn how they started and when. Most of the early ones were original concepts but it is interesting how so many later restaurants are based on other restaurants or chains (e.g., Jamba Juice was inspired by the success of Starbucks).

In all, each chapter is easy to read, has several photographs, and quite a few interesting vignettes. You can tell that the author spent a good amount of time on research and interviews for each restaurant profiled. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

This is such a fun book. You don't have to live in California to appreciate it because some of the restaurants or franchises mentioned made it to other states, including the Midwest where I live. The photos are amazing and there are brief descriptions of the history and people (and families) behind some of the most iconic restaurants/food chains. It is a great nostalgic journey through history and I enjoyed it so much I am going to check out his first volume (this one is volume 2).

Thank you to Netgalley and Turner Publishing Company for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.

This book brought back so many memories for me! My grandparents loved going to Carrows! This book is full of so much nostalgia! I love reading the stories and looking at the old advertisements. So many different food establishments got their starts in California. I had no idea. Be prepared to get really hungry after reading this book. I loved the inclusion of lots of photos and the layout was done really well! Definitely recommend this book if you are a foodie, historian, or California lover!

This was my first experience with one of George Geary's Made in California books, so I did not know exactly what to expect from this book was so intrigued by the concept. I was immediately blown away by how many iconic American culinary establishments got their start in California. As a California girl myself, this was so fun and interesting to learn about! I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in culinary history.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.