Spaghetti Bender serving its final plates after 55 years of nourishing the community of Newport Beach
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Regulars at the Spaghetti Bender came from all walks of life, including a former pro baseball player who often sought special treatment because of his celebrity status. But to owner Michael Hoskinson, the athlete’s business was no more important than that of any other local who has come in to unwind after work, celebrate a birthday, propose to their fiance or even just settle on a reliable, lovingly prepared plate of lasagna because they ran out of time to make dinner at home.
“I would never put up with his s—,” Hoskinson said of the sports celebrity. “And he would come in and try to bluster his way in in front of all these people. And I go, ‘You know the drill. Go sit down. Have a drink at the bar. I’ll bring you a basket of bread.’”
The restaurant on PCH has been serving Italian comfort food for over 55 years, and Hoskinson said it has been an honor to feed and welcome people who make up the fabric of Newport Beach and surrounding communities. It thrived for decades without ever spending a penny on advertising. So, many were shocked when owners announced their decision to close the doors for good in a Facebook post on Feb. 19.
After the announcement, patrons immediately proceeded to book every reservation available through the restaurant’s final night of dinner service, which is this Sunday. And since then, Hoskinson has been fielding 30 to 100 calls and emails a day from longtime customers struggling to come to terms with the fact that the local fixture is going away for good.
“People have been panicking that they can’t get a reservation, and I’m having to sweet talk them off the ledge a little bit,” Hoskinson said. “It’s weird. It’s like people are going through the five stages of grief. There’s a lot of bargaining.”
A combination of factors led to the decision to close the Spaghetti Bender. Inflation in recent years has driven up the cost of ingredients, and so staying in the restaurant industry is “tougher than I’ve ever seen it before,” Hoskinson said.
Meanwhile, many of the staff working at the restaurant today have been there for decades, and Hoskinson described them as the soul of the establishment. Many key members of their team are at or near retirement age, and without them the restaurant simply wouldn’t be the same.
The closure comes three years after the death of the Spaghetti Bender’s founder, Joyce Hoskinson, Michael’s mother. Several longtime employees were named as beneficiaries in her will, her son said.
Joyce Hoskinson was the driving force behind the restaurant. And her son, working as a property developer by day and overseeing dinner service in the evenings, admits that he simply cannot devote himself to it the same way she did.
“My mom and I were best of friends, partners,” Hoskinson said, shedding a tear.
Joyce Hoskinson had been helping her parents run several other restaurants when she got the idea to open her own in the summer of 1969. The single mother’s ambition was something of an anomaly, as she went through 20 banks seeking a loan at a time when the idea of a young woman starting her own business was practically unthinkable. On one occasion she was chased out of a meeting by a lecherous banker who tried to make physical advances on her, Michael Hoskinson said.
The restaurant struggled in its first year until a glowing newspaper review turned things around. They developed a loyal base of customers made up largely of families. Michael Hoskinson as well as longtime manager Britta Pulliam both met their spouses while working shifts at the restaurant.
The family has been overwhelmed by a recent outpouring of stories, compliments, requests for their secret salad dressing recipe and to please squeeze in just one more party of two, for old time’s sake. It pains them to deny customers who have sustained them for over five decades, but Hoskinson, Pulliam and the restaurant’s head chef of over 40 years, Alphonso Gomez, want to ensure that the last meals they serve are remembered as some of their best.
“I want everyone who has dinner here to have a wonderful last meal, a great memory and not have us running around, sweating with food running an hour late,” Hoskinson said.
It’s unclear what will happen to the white stucco-walled building with a Spanish-tiled roof on PCH. Hoskinson still owns the property and has had several offers from businesses interested in moving into the location. He’s not in a hurry to part with it and was closely vetting interested parties in hopes of finding someone who will also somehow nourish the community.
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