The Warehouse Restaurant in Cannery Row (Salinas, Santa Cruz: get credit, high school, shops)

[errera1958]

I remember the Warehouse very well.
I worked there in 1977.
I was stationed at the Presidio when I was in the Air Force.
I moonlighted at the Warehouse as a line cook with Jay Breke the Executive Chef.
It was always a fun time.
My niece also was stationed at the Presidio and told me that it was her favorite place to unwind after duty.
We had a bouncer at the front door (phone booth) that went by "Bear" big guy but very nice.
Clint Eastwood was a fairly regular customer - also a great guy!
And, yes, the "Untouchables"! Best bunch of waitresses that I ever worked with.
We also had probably the best "Ragtime" band ever!
There was also the old silent movies playing when the band was off stage.
I was unaware that the warehouse had closed.
It was a landmark and will be missed by all!

[EMDeschler]

Her name was Barbara Kelly, and she was stunning! She had moved to LA to work on a project- a variety show that, if my memory serves me- was to be something like the Barbara Kelly Variety Show. I loved that place- the energy there was so special.

[chessgeek]

Originally Posted by bigsurluvr

I was stationed at Ft. Ord in the mid-late 70's. Caruso's Corner was one of my favorite restaurants. I've eaten there many times through the years - each time I visited the Peninsula. As recently as 5 years ago (the last time I was in Monterey) it was still there.

Caruso's moved to Fremont Street in north Monterey not far from the fairgrounds in the 1990's. The pizza was decent and the service friendly and efficient, but I would definitely rate Gianni's on Lighthouse Avenue above it today. I did not visit Monterey frequently until around the mid-1980's when the MB Aquarium opened. It would have been nice to have been there in those good old days back in the 1970's when people were out just to have a good time and not as overly image conscious as some are today.

I am sure my friends and I would have loved the Warehouse Restaurant, too! Never heard of it until this thread.

[thefourevers]

My parents met at The Warehouse in 1971. And my Mom was a waitress! I have a photograph of her in the Untouchables t-shirt, mini skirt, and fishnet stockings.

[Grumpy6670]

My wife and i honeymooned in carmel summer of1969. Went to the warehouse restaurant and were entertained by a young man who played banjo, made balloon animals and tried to be funny. We did not understand his humor then but came to love Steve Martin.

[goofyfoot829]

She was my wife's cousin ( wife's mom and her mom were sisters). My wife and I were just talking about this last night because it was such a tragic loss---I was told she also won as a contestant on the Gong Show but I can't find the episode on YouTube to verify. She also had a brother Greg Bonner who was a world class surfer from Santa Cruz back in the 70's. Greg passed last year from Cancer. But be on the look out for Barbara's little sister who is a singer and does quite a few gigs in the Monterey area. Her name is Joy Bonner--not sure if she has a stage name or band name for that matter.

[Clark9272]

Originally Posted by goofyfoot829

She was my wife's cousin ( wife's mom and her mom were sisters). My wife and I were just talking about this last night because it was such a tragic loss---I was told she also won as a contestant on the Gong Show but I can't find the episode on YouTube to verify. She also had a brother Greg Bonner who was a world class surfer from Santa Cruz back in the 70's. Greg passed last year from Cancer. But be on the look out for Barbara's little sister who is a singer and does quite a few gigs in the Monterey area. Her name is Joy Bonner--not sure if she has a stage name or band name for that matter.

Thanks for the information! Was her real name Barbara Bonner? And are there any recordings of her?

[Bibster]

Originally Posted by goofyfoot829

She was my wife's cousin ( wife's mom and her mom were sisters). My wife and I were just talking about this last night because it was such a tragic loss---I was told she also won as a contestant on the Gong Show but I can't find the episode on YouTube to verify. She also had a brother Greg Bonner who was a world class surfer from Santa Cruz back in the 70's. Greg passed last year from Cancer. But be on the look out for Barbara's little sister who is a singer and does quite a few gigs in the Monterey area. Her name is Joy Bonner--not sure if she has a stage name or band name for that matter.

I think the Gong Show contestant you are thinking of was one of the waitresses who worked at Barbara Kelly's night club in late '74/early '75. I dated her and in addition to working at the club, she was also a professional cheerleader for the San Jose Earthquakes and a graduate student at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. She won the Gong Show by doing a routine with a pair of flaming batons. Funny thing is that I lost all contact with the girl after the Army shipped me overseas and I discovered her appearance on the show by chance when I saw her on a YouTube video of the Gong Show episode a few months ago.

[Bibster]

Originally Posted by Clark9272

Thanks for the information! Was her real name Barbara Bonner? And are there any recordings of her?

She was born Bonnie Lee Bonner. If I remember correctly, she was married during the time I used to watch her perform at her own nightclub (1974/75), and I don't know what her married name was.

[Bibster]

birth name was Bobbie Lee Bonner, not Bonnie Lee Bonner, and after a little Google research I discovered her married name was Bobbie Lee Simeone. The comedian Kip Addotta, who made an extended appearance at Barbara Kelly's in 1974, recently wrote a book in which he references her murder and opines that it may have been drug related.