Don Callender
| Don Callender | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Donald W. Callender September 27, 1927 Ventura, California, U.S. |
| Died | January 9, 2009 (aged 81) Newport Beach, California |
| Alma mater | Long Beach Poly High School |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Marie Callender's restaurants |
| Spouse(s) | Katy Callender, Patricia (first, divorce) |
| Children | 2 sons, 1 daughter |
| Parent(s) | Cal Warren Callender Marie Callender (1907–1995) |
Don Callender (September 27, 1927 – January 7, 2009) was an American restaurateur and co-founder of the Marie Callender's chain of restaurants, which originated in southern California. He also was behind Babe's Slim Pign's in Redlands, P.H. Woods in Moreno Valley, Top-Gun Restaurant Grill, and Babe's Bar-B-Que & Brewery in Rancho Mirage.
Callender is credited as the first restaurateur to offer franchise operations, with the first Marie Callender's franchisee opening 52 years ago in Orange in 1964.
In the 1930s, Marie Callender (1907–1995), her husband Cal Warren Callender, and their only child, Don lived in a humble trailer park off Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach. Marie baked and sold pies to augment the family's meager income, with little Don delivering her pies to customers on his bicycle. A 1945 graduate of Long Beach Poly High School, he joined the Merchant Marine for a brief tour at the end of World War II and then returned home to southern California.
By 1948, entrepreneurial and intrepid twenty-one year old Don, was already working to expand the business into a wholesale outlet by selling his pies to other restaurants in Orange County. Eventually, Don ventured into the retail realm, opening his first outlet in Orange (at 574 N. Tustin St.) and naming it after his mother, Marie. With continued experimentation, he gradually expanded his inventory and added other menu items which would later become iconic Marie Callender fare.
The interiors, of the chain's earlier restaurants were filled with American antiques and bric-a-brac, circa 1900, evoking the familiar comfort of 'grandma's house,' and a strong Norman Rockwell theme reminiscent of a simpler, more wholesome America. In later years, the restaurants boasted a fully stocked bar, serving alcoholic beverages, and a full salad bar featuring a sneeze guard, a novelty at that time.
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