Back in 2019, when I first dined at the Woolworth's lunch counter in Bakersfield...
...the adjacent Five & Dime Antique Mall was still open and chock full of vintage wares, from furniture to clothing.
But as I approached the Late Moderne-style curved façade and stepped across that terrazzo sidewalk threshold, under those gold letters that spelled out W-O-O-L-W-O-R-T-H-'-S, I wasn't really interested in buying anything.
I was there to eat—and that's the same way I felt when I returned ti the newly restored Woolworth's building and its luncheonette in April 2026 for a community open house.
The F.W. Woolworth company itself went out of business in 1994—and today, the Woolworth's Luncheonette in Bakersfield is the last of its kind still operating in the U.S.
This Woolworth building was built in 1949 and sold in 2021. The Five and Dime Antique Mall then closed—after 25 years of operation there—but the lunch counter stayed open for a while, finally closing in early 2022.
No one really knew how long it would take for the new owners, Sherod and Emily Waite, to renovate the building or reopen the lunch counter—but after nearly four years of work, the doors flung open once again in October 2025.
Now, where lunch-goers once shopped for antiques, there's a beer bar.
A new soda machine pays tribute to 1950—the year that the Woolworth's five-and-dime store arrived at this location in Bakersfield (although the chain itself dates back to 1879).
The lunch counter area no longer has that black-and-white-and-red 50s "diner" look—but that style actually only dated back to the prior owner, who revived the boarded-up building after purchasing it in 1994.
The current look is more authentic to the time period of its opening. Among its original features are terrazzo floors, which were preserved underneath black and white checkered tile, and counter stools—which are just like the "Sit-In Stools" at the Smithsonian, although this particular Woolworth's lunch counter was not a sit-in site.
The grilling and frying still happen in an open kitchen—although some other items (like salads and veggie burgers) have been added to the classic burger joint menu and are prepared out of sight. Running the show food-wise is Chef Richard Yoshimura, whose credentials include a stint at Patina and co-founding Moo Creamery.
The mirrors, wood paneling, and aluminum railings still line the walls of the stairwell leading to the basement...
...which was completely empty the last time I visited, save for the public restrooms.
Now, a bar and performance venue known simply as "The Basement" occupies the space...
...providing a stage for DJs and comedy and musical acts, both local and national.
The award-winning restoration is part of a revitalization of downtown Bakersfield—and the rebranding of the F.W. Woolworth Building as being "At the Corner of History and Hope" is, ideally, a sign of things to come.
Helping to draw foot traffic in off the street is Reverb Coffee, a home-grown Bakersfield-based bean and brew bar...
...which has transformed one corner of the ground floor.
During the open house, a vintage market took over the third floor (all whopping 11,000 square feet of it), which we figured had been a stock room based on the signage on the wall.
And the second floor? Well, that's occupied by the owners' financial planning company, Moneywise Wealth Management.
The Waites have called the project their "love letter to Bakersfield"—but it's more than that. In fact, it took a lot of money—at least $10 million—to resurrect this old discount department store building.
And it was no small feat to bring back the luncheonette, which they promised they would do. Plenty of developers and building owners break their promises. It's time to celebrate the promise-keepers.
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