“When the Seafare restaurant opened in Whittier, Calif. in 1961....”
I grew up in Brea so I knew the Seafare Inn well. Actually I never ate there but passed it many times going to other locations along Whittier Blvd. I read in the local paper at the time that the owners said low interest rates killed interest income of the retired population that frequented the restaurant and that was that.
The Seafare Inn was owned by the Milhous family which moved to Whittier from Indiana in 1897. Their original house still stands, but in a different location from where it was originally built.
Gary Milhous, in a white button-down shirt and a tie with a fish design would often greet diners at the front door.
When its closure was announced, the place was packed during its last few days, and I was one of those eating there for the last time.
The building now houses an eatery specializing in pancakes. I only ate there once. The atmosphere has changed. When it was the Seafare Inn, it was quiet and cozy, with carpets to muffle the noise. But for some reason, young people today like to eat in restaurants that are loud, where you have to shout to converse with the diner across the table from you, and that is what the pancake place that replaced the Seafare is like today.