The Black Bear Diner was a special place for many people

Its huge and pleasing menu was unmatched in Davis dining

I will miss the Black Bear Diner.

The popular restaurant on the far south end of B Street will go into “permanent hibernation,” as my friend and journalistic colleague Wendy Weitzel so cleverly and accurately described this distressing news.

The final day to order Homemade Meatloaf or Slow-Cooked Pot Roast or Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs is today.

We were given no reason for Black Bear’s closing, but presumably profits did not match expectations.

Decades ago, at the same site, a similar-style restaurant named Sambo’s opened, offering round-the-clock pancakes and free coffee refills.

No restaurants in Davis at the time were open nearly as many hours as Sambo’s.

Sambo’s was part of a chain that started in Santa Barbara and grew to hundreds of locations across the country.

It didn’t take long for the name to become controversial, at least in Davis.

While founders Sam Battistone and Newell Bohnett claimed the title incorporated parts of both their names, the association with the children’s book, The Story of Little Black Sambo was undeniable.

As a young sportswriter at the time, I regularly attended gatherings of the Monday Morning Quarterbacks Club that met at Sambo’s to discuss the previous weekend’s football exploits of both UC Davis and Davis High School.

UC Davis’ Joe Singleton, one of the first Black athletic directors at a major American university, took a bit of grief about holding these meetings at a restaurant bearing such a name, but over time this same spot became Seasons and then Baker’s Square and now Black Bear Diner.

What will happen to this choice site now is anyone’s guess.

My family and I once ate at the original Black Bear Diner in the beautiful city of Mt. Shasta with that magnificent 14,162-foot mountain in full view while we spread maple syrup all over our tall stack of pancakes.

While there are now 169 such restaurants - make that 168 - in 14 states, Davis is the only other one we have visited.

Black Bear, headquartered just up I-5 in Redding, was founded by buddies Bruce Dean and Bob Manley.

Oddly, Dean is a graduate of UC Davis, just a block or two from the restaurant that is now serving its last slice of banana cream pie.

Manley is a Chico State grad.

So an Aggie and a Wildcat are the big bosses of this operation, and, without a doubt, when you visit one of their restaurants, you get more than your money’s worth.

The decor is fun, the menu large and varied, the portions huge, the quality excellent and the prices reasonable.

In short, it is a fun and happy place to be, especially for families with young children.

I also like the fact that Black Bear Diner is likely the only restaurant in the world that sells handy expandable backscratchers right at the cash register for those sleepless nights when you just can’t reach that irritating itch halfway down your spine.

The functional part of this sturdy and attractive tool is shaped and sharpened just like a bear claw, which seems appropriate. Or maybe they’re just trying to subliminally remind you to order a Fresh Baked Bear Claw with Blackberry Filling to take with you for the ride home.

While you still can, in the few moments you have remaining, try the Bread Pudding French Toast and send me the bill.

It’s to die for.

So long, Black Bear. Sleep tight.

We’ll be sure to find you up the road.

Someday.

Somewhere.

Reach me at bobdunning@thewaryone.com