Former Locations
42 locations. One California.
Cooper Do-nuts didn’t stay on Main Street. It spread across Los Angeles and into Northern California — from downtown to Hollywood, from South Central to Stockton and Sacramento.
Jack Evans started with Evans Cafeteria at 213 S Main Street in downtown Los Angeles. After it was demolished and replaced with a parking lot, he placed a small prefab Cooper Do-nuts counter in the corner of that lot at 215 S Main — twelve to fourteen stools, coffee, donuts, affordable prices, open late. The production bakery at 619 E 6th Street supplied the chain and the wholesale network, with a retail counter in front.
From that start, the Evans family built a network stretching from downtown to the San Fernando Valley, and north to Stockton, Sacramento, and Carmichael. We have documented 42 locations. There may be others. In 2023, the City of Los Angeles designated the corner at 2nd and Main a historic landmark: Cooper Do-nuts/Nancy Valverde Square.
The Network
Click any pin to see details. Flagship and evidentiary locations in red — production bakery in amber — Evans Cafeteria in gray. Zoom out to see Northern California.
Select a pin to see location details.
Documented Locations
Origin Locations
213 S Main St
Downtown Los Angeles · Evans Cafeteria
Jack Evans’ original cafeteria — predates the Cooper Do-nuts brand. Demolished and replaced with a parking lot; a prefab Cooper Do-nuts was placed in the corner at 215 S Main.
215 S Main St
Downtown Los Angeles · Flagship · Est. 1952
Original Cooper Do-nuts retail location. Prefab counter built in the corner of the former Evans Cafeteria lot. Most associated with the 1959 uprising. The corner at 2nd & Main is now Cooper Do-nuts/Nancy Valverde Square.
517 S Main St
Downtown Los Angeles · Retail
Confirmed by 1962 Frommer’s guide and 1963 California Court of Appeal sworn testimony (People v. Shepherd). Located on the 500 block near Harold’s and the Waldorf.
619 E 6th St
Downtown Los Angeles · Production Bakery & Retail
Production bakery in the back — supplying the chain and wholesale network. Retail counter in the front.
Downtown & Central Los Angeles
243 E 5th St
Downtown
316 E 5th St
Downtown
444 S Broadway
Downtown
441 S Hill St
Downtown
628 S Olive St
Downtown
807 W 3rd St
Downtown / Westlake
411 N Beaudry Ave
Westlake
1201 W 6th St
Westlake
2111 Beverly Blvd
Silver Lake / Echo Park
1515 Maple Ave
Central LA
East & South Los Angeles
2326 Whittier Blvd
East LA
3811 San Pedro St
South LA
5613 S Central Ave
South LA
4414 S Figueroa St
South LA
2620 S Figueroa St
South LA
5829 S Figueroa St
South LA
519 W Washington Blvd
Pico-Union
312 Venice Blvd
Venice / Mid-City
2615 Vermont Ave
South LA
West LA, Hollywood & the Valley
3112 W Pico Blvd
Mid-City
813 S Alvarado St
Koreatown
4648 Santa Monica Blvd
East Hollywood
6772 Santa Monica Blvd
Hollywood
1119 N Fairfax Ave
West Hollywood
4464 Sunset Dr
Los Feliz
10133 San Fernando Rd
Pacoima
Northern California
Stockton, Sacramento, and Carmichael locations — details on most of these remain sparse. If you have memories, photographs, or documents connected to any of these, we want to hear from you.
107 E Market St
Downtown Stockton
436 E Market St
Downtown Stockton
1312 E Harding Way
Stockton
1816 Pacific Ave
Stockton
1829 Pacific Ave
Stockton
1916 El Camino Ave
Stockton
2284 Arden Ln
Stockton
314 E Charter Wy
Stockton
4118 N El Dorado St
Stockton
428 J St
Downtown Sacramento
2950 Freeport Blvd
Sacramento
6701 Fair Oaks Blvd
Carmichael
Still Documenting
This list is incomplete.
We know the Evans family operated more locations than those listed here. We are still working to document the full network. If you know of a location not listed — or have photographs, matchbooks, receipts, newspaper ads, or any other evidence of a Cooper Do-nuts location — please reach out.
The wholesale network is also part of this picture. Cooper’s donuts were sold through other cafes and diners across California — shops that carried the product without the name above the door, including Lou Fuester’s and Spencers.
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