The historic Saugus Cafe in Santa Clarita was awarded a plaque on Sunday recognizing it as the oldest operating cafe in Los Angeles County. 

The Saugus Cafe was opened in 1886, and during its long history has hosted many esteemed guests, including Presidents Benjamin Harrison in 1891 and Theodore Roosevelt in 1903. It has also served Hollywood royalty such as Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Harry Carey, Hoot Gibson, Tom Mix, and William S. Hart.  

Other famed names who have dined at the cafe are Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Marlene Dietrich, Tex Ritter and Frank Sinatra.

What has kept the Saugus Cafe open and running for so long, however, is not the Hollywood elite but the local community members, who frequent the cafe nearly every day. 

“I’ve been coming here since I was a teenager,” said Mayor Laurene Weste. “We hope it goes another 134 years. We do everything we can to preserve history in our city.”

The Saugus Cafe came dangerously close to closing in 2020 due to stresses from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the community came together to raise funds to keep the eatery running. 

“The Saugus Cafe has been a place for families to gather, whether it was on a Sunday afternoon after church, or after a day at the Saugus Speedway. Or if they just wanted to have some downtime and talk to old friends,” said a spokesperson with the Clamper Society. 

The Ancient and Honorable Organization of E Clampus Vitus–or “Clampers”—Platrix

Chapter #2 and Peter Lebeck Chapter #1866 awarded the cafe with a plaque to recognize it as a historical eatery in the community. 

“When they addressed me with the historical plaque I had no idea how big this event was gonna be and it’s very meaningful,” said Jesse Mercado, daughter of Saugus Cafe owner Alfredo Mercado. “We really appreciate everyone who always supports us.”

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