It’s like taking a trip through time to go to The Original Saugus Café on Railroad Avenue in Saugus with its green counter stools and booths, and black and white framed photos of days gone by and Hollywood celebrities on the walls.
But Sunday, Jan. 4, was the last time customers sampled their favorite traditional American dishes before its doors and windows were shuttered, leaving the faithful wondering what the fate of their favorite watering hole might be.
The question on many minds is “why is it closing, and will some wonderful soul come along and save it, maybe not as a restaurant, but at least as a historical monument of some kind?” A restaurant spokeswoman said the closing was due to circumstances beyond their control, but they haven’t abandoned the idea of the restaurant.
James Otero of La Crescenta first started coming to the diner as a child in the 1960s.
“I grew up on this kind of healthy food,” Otero said Jan 4. “It’s home cooking like my grandmother used to make and the prices are reasonable. They never make a mistake and never burn anything.”
Otero was joined with his friend, Canoga Park resident Daniel Pollock, who Otero introduced to the café about 25 years ago. Pollock was known to take a bus and a train to sample the cuisine after doctor appointments.
Demetrio Lopez, a customer since 1980, says goodbye and wishes well to Michaela Vuong, who has worked as a waitress at The Original Saugus Cafe for 25 years, on the restaurant’s final day of business in Saugus on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. The restaurant is scheduled to close permanently later in the evening after nearly 140 years, according to ownership. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) Jesse Ponce, a waitress at the restaurant for 15 years, chats with longtime customers Jeffrey Otero, left, and Daniel Pollock at The Original Saugus Cafe on its final day of business in Saugus on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. The restaurant is scheduled to close permanently later in the evening after nearly 140 years, according to ownership. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) Customers sit at the counter and chat with one another at The Original Saugus Cafe on its final day of business in Saugus on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. The restaurant is scheduled to close permanently later in the evening after nearly 140 years, according to ownership. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) Brenda Castro, a waitress at the restaurant for 20 years, shares an emotional farewell with customers Jamie Santellano, left, and James Reddington, who have been visiting The Original Saugus Cafe for two decades, on the restaurant’s final day of business in Saugus on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. The restaurant is scheduled to close permanently later in the evening after nearly 140 years, according to ownership. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) Restaurant host Ezequiel Mendoza, a student at Hart High School, waits to greet customers at The Original Saugus Cafe on its final day of business in Saugus on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. The restaurant is scheduled to close permanently later in the evening after nearly 140 years, according to ownership. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) Justin Barrera and Alexandra Alvarado enjoy conversation at The Original Saugus Cafe on its final day of business in Saugus on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. Barrera had been a regular at the restaurant for 10 years, while it was Alvarado’s first visit. The restaurant is scheduled to close permanently later in the evening after nearly 140 years, according to ownership. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) From left to right, waitresses Michaela Vuong, who has worked at The Original Saugus Cafe for 25 years, Maria Douglass, a waitress at the restaurant for 18 years, and Alejandra Mercado, a waitress for seven years, chat behind the counter near the kitchen pickup window on the cafe’s final day of business in Saugus on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. The restaurant is scheduled to close permanently later in the evening after nearly 140 years, according to ownership. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) Show Caption1 of 7Demetrio Lopez, a customer since 1980, says goodbye and wishes well to Michaela Vuong, who has worked as a waitress at The Original Saugus Cafe for 25 years, on the restaurant’s final day of business in Saugus on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. The restaurant is scheduled to close permanently later in the evening after nearly 140 years, according to ownership. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer) ExpandHe started with a hamburger.
“They gave you a lot of food,” Pollock said. “It was really good. I ate the whole thing.” He said he has since moved on to club and French dip sandwiches.
Breakfast patrons mostly ordered stacks of light, airy pancakes with a perfect dab of butter, or Eggs Benedict. Among favorite dinner dishes were New York and country fried steaks. Favorite drinks were mimosa flights and Bloody Marys from a bustling bar.
The diner, which opened in the 1800s, attracted politicians traveling by train up and down the state and Hollywood mucky-mucks who were filming movies in the area.
It had numerous owners, the last being Alfredo Mercado who started as an employee before he took over the operations.
History shows the restaurant has closed before. The question now on many minds is “why is it closing, and will some wonderful soul come along and save it, maybe not as a restaurant, but at least as a historical monument of some kind?”
Dinner patrons were said to be extra generous with tips on Jan. 4, showing appreciation for the servers as they hustled and bustled to meet orders.
The cafe has changed owners several times over the decades and has even seen a couple of closures, first in 1943 during World War II and again in 1983. Neither closure lasted long. And in 1998, the cafe was sold to longtime employees Gay Libby and Alfredo Mercado. Mercado is the sole owner today.
The cafe originally opened as the Saugus Eating House by James Herbert Tolfree in the late 1800s. He operated it at the north end of the nearby train depot. Both the train stop and the restaurant were named after local developer Henry Newhall’s hometown of Saugus, Massachusetts. In 1899, the name was changed to Saugus Cafe by two brothers, Richard R. Wood and Martin Wood who took over the deed from Tolfree.
The cafe moved across the street to its current location in 1916. Around that time, the Santa Clarita area became a popular filming location, which rings true today.
The Original Saugus Café became a destination for directors like John Ford and D.W. Griffith, as well as stars like Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford. Legend has it even U.S. President William Henry Harrison dined at the café.
Host Ezequiel Mendoza, a Hart High schooler, has worked for four years at one of the diner’s two bars. And on Sunday, he also served as a quasi-photographer when asked by customers to snap their photos, possibly for the last time.
“It’s been an amazing experience,” Ezequiel said. “There are so many nice people here and my coworkers are also nice. It feels like family. It’s going to be sad because I basically grew up here.”
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