The Steak Corral has been serving generations of customers for almost 60 years; it’s been the go-to local spot for celebrating special occasions, holidays, or just grabbing a great steak dinner at a reasonable price. This Whittier restaurant is actually the last remaining location of a chain that once had a presence all over the San Gabriel Valley and even extended into Orange County.
Steak Corral was founded in San Gabriel in 1961 by Bob Beyer when he was just 21 years old and fresh out of college. He studied hotel and restaurant management at the University of Denver, where he received training both in cooking and administration, which provided the solid foundation for his success.
With Steak Corral, he set out to give customers their money’s worth, while also ensuring that the restaurant made an honest profit. A family could have a great steak dinner and a fun night out without breaking the bank. The atmosphere of the restaurant also played a huge role in enticing customers back, the western theme was a hit with families, kids would be given Indian headbands and candy suckers by friendly waiters and waitresses dressed like cowboys and cowgirls with nicknames like “Jailhouse Jenny” and “Dangerous Denise.” Beyer was also an industry innovator; he claimed to be one of the 1st people to put a salad bar in a restaurant.
Beyer was also a huge believer in a strong employee-employer relationship, it wasn’t unusual to see him behind the grill helping to put orders out. He also believed in rewarding hard work and dedication; his managers worked their way up from entry level positions.
The San Gabriel location was so successful that Beyer opened a 2nd Steak Corral in Arcadia in 1964, followed by the Whittier location in 1965. In 1967 he opened a 4th location in Pasadena, which by all accounts was the crown jewel of the chain; it was 5,500 square feet, could seat 200 guests, and had parking for 73 cars, and was air conditioned.
In 1968 the restaurant’s nameless mascot, a cowboy roping a steak, finally got a name—”The Corral Kid,” although he was also known by various other aliases including “Lasso Larry,” “Pioneer Pete,” and my favorite, “Beefy Bill,” which would’ve been apt, given that in that year, just one of the restaurants was using 3 1/2 tons of beef a month.
A 5th location was added in 1970 in West Covina and the first Steak Corral in Orange County was opened in Santa Ana in 1977.
This was the peak of the chain, 6 restaurants open at the same time. Although this was short-lived. The San Gabriel Location was closed in 1978, followed by the Arcadia one in 1979. The next few years saw the closure of all but 2—the West Covina and Whittier restaurants. Although the Covina location did eventually close in 2007, leaving only the Whittier one.
The Whittier location continues to thrive because it’s in good hands. Prior to passing away in 2013, Beyer left the restaurant and provisions in his will for several leases to the manager, Steve Ramirez, who’s worked at the location since starting off as a 16-year-old busboy on Halloween night, 1971.
In 2021, on the anniversary of his 50th year with Steak Corral, Ramirez said: “I was able to work for a very kind and generous boss, Bob Beyer who treated me like a son. He wanted to see the Steak Corral restaurant continue on and I have tried my best. I am very fortunate to have such a good crew and to have such loyal customers. It has been such a blessing to see all the new generations patronizing Steak Corral. This is what keeps me going every day. Thank you for making this possible”
Steve Ramirez’s story is the epitome of Bob Beyer’s philosophy of taking care of his employees and rewarding their hard work and dedication and Ramirez is continuing Beyer’s legacy today. It’s not unusual to see him out on the floor, fixing the soda machine or refilling the salad bar. He also has employees that have worked with him for decades, even having their own kids work there. The restaurant continues to offer great steak dinners at reasonable prices and they still make the dressings, croutons, and pies in-house, just like they did when they first opened.
So why don’t you gather up your posse, make the trek down to Whittier and support this local spot and ensure that it celebrates its 60th anniversary and beyond; It’s a perfect example of that entrepreneurial spirit that can be found in so many places in California. And the steak’s pretty damn good too.
References:
“Success of the Steak Corral” by Miles Gambol, Pasadena Independent-Star News. Feb. 27, 1966.
“Beyer Believes in Good Food, Service at Steak Corrals” by Bob Floury, Pasadena Independent-Star News. Aug. 18, 1968.
“Steak Corral Success” by Bob Floury, Pasadena Star News. Jan. 10, 1971.
“Corral Owner Puts His Reputation at Steak” by Staff, Pasadena Star News. April 1, 1993.
“Chow Time: Steak Corral” | Mr. Tiny’s Wacky Tacky Blog. June 28, 2012.
“Donald Beyer Obituary” by Staff, Pasadena Star-News. April 16, 2013.
“Steak Corral in Whittier A Beef Lover’s Paradise” by Merrill Shindler, Whittier Daily News. July 9, 2014.
“Nostalgic Lunch at Steak Corral in Whittier, California” by MyWhittier YouTube Channel. June 21, 2023.