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Private company

Clifton's Cafeteria

Logo: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Restaurant in Los Angeles, California, US

Clifton's Cafeteria, once part of a chain of eight Clifton's restaurants, was the oldest surviving cafeteria-style eatery in Los Angeles and the largest public cafeteria in the world when it closed in 2018. Founded in 1931 by Clifford Clinton, the design of the restaurants included exotic decor and facades that were "kitschy and theatrical", and would eventually include multi-story fake redwood trees, stuffed lions, neon plants, and a petrified wood bar. Some considered Clifton's as a precursor to the first tiki bars.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1931Founded1

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Clifton's Cafeteria 2017
Photo: Difference engine, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons5

Clifton's Cafeteria, once part of a chain of eight Clifton's restaurants, was the oldest surviving cafeteria-style eatery in Los Angeles and the largest public cafeteria in the world when it closed in 2018. Founded in 1931 by Clifford Clinton, the design of the restaurants included exotic decor and facades that were "kitschy and theatrical", and would eventually include multi-story fake redwood trees, stuffed lions, neon plants, and a petrified wood bar. Some considered Clifton's as a precursor to the first tiki bars. The name was created by combining "Clifford" and "Clinton" to produce "Clifton's".2

The story

Founded by Clifford Clinton in 1931.1

The Clinton family's five generations as California restaurateurs began when David Harrison Clinton came to Los Angeles from Missouri in 1888 and purchased the Southern Hotel and its dining room in downtown Los Angeles. David's son, Edmond, settled in San Francisco, where he and his wife, Gertrude, became co-owners of a group of cafeteria-style restaurants called Dennets.

Clifford, one of Edmond's five children, learned the restaurant trade while working in his father's restaurants. Along with two partners, he bought his father's interest in Dennets. Due to differences in opinion over business practices, he relinquished ownership to his partners and moved to Los Angeles in 1931.

Establishing his restaurants during the height of the Great Depression, and using knowledge gained from working in his family's cafeteria chain in San Francisco, Clinton made a point to never turn anyone away, even if they had no money, seeking to average only a half-cent profit per customer. During one 90-day period, 10,000 people ate free before he was able to open an emergency "Penny Caveteria" in a basement (hence the modified name) a few blocks away to feed two million patrons during the next two years.

From Wikipedia’s article on Clifton's Cafeteria, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Leadership

Who has led Clifton's Cafeteria, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Timeline

  1. 1931Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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