Saturn Cafe
The Saturn Cafe is a vegetarian diner in Oakland, California, with former locations in Berkeley, Los Angeles, and Santa Cruz. Its original Santa Cruz location was established in 1979 and closed in 2021; the Los Angeles restaurant opened in 2020. The Santa Cruz location has been variously owned by Don Lane, a husband and wife team, and former employees of the diner. The Berkeley location of Saturn Cafe was open from 2009 to 2018. The Saturn offers an entirely vegetarian menu, as well as vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free options. Its vegetarian take on classic American diner food also features local and organic ingredients. It has been critically acclaimed by numerous publications for its large menu, variety of vegan interpretations of dishes, and appeal to customers who regularly eat meat. The Saturn is also known for its progressivism, especially its commitments to environmental and social justice. History The Saturn Cafe was established in Santa Cruz, California, in 1979. It was founded by City Council candidate and future Mayor of Santa Cruz Don Lane on Mission Street. It moved to a larger building across the street in 1982, and in 1984 Lane was joined by the husband and wife team of Cary and Melissa Sunberg as co-owners, by which time it had developed a reputation for value. In 1988, while under Lane's ownership, the Saturn Cafe was damaged by a fire deemed suspicious by local authorities. In May 1993, two of the Saturn Cafe's workers tested positive for hepatitis A; although no one was positively infected at the restaurant, a public health notice caused a noticeable drop in business while over 550 customers obtained virus inoculations and a public gathering of local artists, politicians, and others at the restaurant was organized to support the Saturn. In March 1994, the Saturn Cafe celebrated its 15th anniversary, by which point Lane estimated that it had served over one million customers and made over 500 donations to local organizations. In May 1995, the Saturn's employees picketed the restaurant and voted 13–6 to unionize, joining Local 415 of Service Employees International Union. In December 1995, co-owners Cary and Melissa Sundberg closed the Saturn, but did not elaborate on their reasons for doing so. In February 1996, former employees Sarah Smith, Annie Schuessler, and Tristan Nathe re-opened the Saturn Cafe with a unionized kitchen, newly simplified interior design, and table service, which the former incarnation of the restaurant did not feature. On January 1, 1999, the Saturn was damaged by a fire that caused approximately $50,000 in damage and forced the restaurant to close for a month. In February 1999, the owners of the Saturn Cafe signed a lease for a location on Pacific Avenue with of space that was formerly occupied by a Boston Market location. After delays in March caused by issues with insurance coverage between the Saturn and Cal-Farm Insurance Company, co-owners Tristan Nathe and Abigail Andromacha finally opened the restaurant's new location as a retro-themed 24-hour diner on Pacific Avenue in September 1999.