Let’s Dine – Out Old Country Coffee Shop

By TIM WILCOX

Special to the Alpine Mountaineer

It’s yet another “from there to here” success story. “There” in this case is Zacatecas, Mexico, while “here” is the western San Bernardino Mountains.

Luis Antonio Garcia moved to Running Springs in 1985 and has been a diligent, community-focused resident ever since. His father, uncle and several other family members were already employed at Lloyd’s Restaurant (now closed), so Luis was hired as well. He switched to nearby Running Springs Coffee Shop, starting as a dishwasher and learning other aspects of the restaurant business.

“My goal all along,” says Luis, “was to own this place.” He fulfilled that ambition, purchasing what is now Old Country Coffee Shop in May 1995. Glancing for a moment at his wife, Silveria Garcia, he recalls that they were married five months later. “That was the most amazing decision I could’ve ever made for my life!” he exclaims, inspiring a smile not only from Silveria, but also Luis Fernando Garcia, their 21-year-old son.

Commonly known as Luis Jr., he’s the manager of Old Country. So it’s definitely a family affair, with Luis Sr. taking the lead, Silveria backing up the staff almost every day, Luis Jr. managing while performing other duties and the Garcias’ 17-year-old daughter, Alejandra, working as a server. Two older sons, Joaquin and Gustavo Angel, having been involved on site for years, now help out with financial matters, such as bookkeeping and taxes.

One unmistakable sign of the Garcias’ success is that they own not only the coffee shop itself, but also the entire strip center (several businesses, including an auto-parts store) in the heart of Running Springs. Even more significant, though, is the robust and consistent patronage of diners over the course of nearly three decades.They come not only from the immediate vicinity, but from Crestline eastward to Big Bear.

“I’m not kidding when I say we have customers from all over the place,” says Luis Sr. “This time of year we welcome a lot of skiers and snowboarders. We have customers, too, from San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange and San Diego counties who come just to eat here.” Luis Jr. adds that some have traveled “from as far away as Tijuana.”

What’s the secret to the restaurant’s expansive repeat business? Warm hospitality is one component. “Many customers become our friends,” says Luis Sr., “and this is like a second home for our local customers in particular.” Last winter, during the days of extraordinary and even dangerous snowfall, the Garcias made essential food supplies – such as milk, eggs and bread – available to area residents.

Bottom-line, however, is the cookery. It’s old-fashioned, unpretentious American and Mexican food that’s reasonably priced and served in typically generous portions. The two menus – one breakfast, the other lunch and dinner – are among the most extensive bills of fare you’re likely to encounter anywhere.

On the Menu

While breakfast may be the morning meal, it’s served all day long here. There are lots of egg dishes as well as pancake and French toast offerings, with tags ranging from $5.25 to $14.50. Diners with especially hardy appetites are drawn to the likes of the big French toast combo: three slices, two eggs, two sausage links and two strips of bacon. How does that sound? Belgian waffles are a just-as-sweet alternative.

On a more savory note, the veteran chefs (known for their kitchen expertise and efficiency) prepare 20 or so four-egg omelets averaging about $14.50. Even more ambitious are offerings that pair eggs with the likes of New York steak ($18.49), ham ($14.49), pork chop ($13.75), hamburger patty ($13.99) and Porterhouse steak ($18.99). Two biscuits smothered in country gravy topped with sausage patties and eggs ($14.99) are “a really popular order,” according to Luis Sr.

Among the 11 south-of-the-border breakfasts are chile verde huevos rancheros, enchiladas Apache, Mexican scramble and several burritos. Average tag: $14. Breakfast sandwiches are available, too, such as grilled bacon and egg, Polish sausage and egg, and ham and egg ($14.25 each).

Just a quick mention to pique your curiosity without going into details: The Big Country Extra Hungry is an appetite-challenging pick that might be more sensibly ventured as a shared order.

OK, on to lunch and dinner. . . With brevity in mind, we’ll report that the lineup of sandwiches and melts ($11.49 to $18.99) numbers more than 40. Wow! Among the best bets are top-sirloin-steak sandwich, chicken-teriyaki melt, Reuben sandwich, turkey-and-bacon melt, bacon-and-avocado club sandwich and lemon-chicken melt.

Hamburgers come in one-third-pound and two-thirds-pound versions. The latter picks feature two premium patties “smashed together” (in Luis Sr.’s words) to form the basis for hefty handheld renditions such as Ortega chilies and Swiss cheese, teriyaki with mushrooms, bacon cheese and Pastrami. They average about $16. Soups and salads are numerous as well.

Thirty-one Mexican combos ($14.55 to $16.75) can do nicely for either lunch or dinner. A handful of examples: camarones al mojo de ajo, chile verde enchiladas, shrimp fajitas, shredded-beef tostadas and chile relleno with cheese enchilada. The fajitas combo dinner for two is $21.50.

You’d expect burritos to be on the menu, and they are – 17 in total, priced from $11.99 to $16.75. Sides of rice and refried beans are standard.

Finally, dinner selections are led by quite a few steak and pork-chop options ($14.25 to $19.35) and even more ambitious combination plates featuring steak and seafood ($19.85 to $35.34). Fail-safe picks include top sirloin with shrimp scampi, ribeye with fried shrimp, Porterhouse with fried shrimp and New York steak paired with halibut steak.

Quick notes simply FYI: More than a dozen chicken and seafood entrées bear a median tag of about $16, and occasional weekend specials with variable prices are prime rib, barbecue ribs with shrimp scampi, salmon steak and pozole (a traditional Mexican soup or stew).

Tying a neat metaphorical bow around an enjoyable conversation with the Garcias, manager Luis Jr. says: “Our regular customers have seen me grow up here for the last eight or nine years. They know me, and I know them. That connection makes this place more than a business and what I do more than a job.”

Luis Sr. nods, then says: “The restaurant has helped us teach our kids the value of hard work, which is so important not just in business, but in all of life.”

Old Country Coffee Shop: 32019 Holiday Lane in Running Springs; (909) 867-3100; first come, first served; major cards; $1.74-$35.34; 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sun.-Thurs., 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fri.-Sat.