FIVE CROWNS UNVEILS BOLD INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR RENOVATIONS
Orange County’s premier fine dining landmark celebrates
Golden Anniversary with major refresh including new Cooper’s Bar
Corona del Mar, CA – June 16, 2016 – Five Crowns is pleased to unveil the completion of the interior and exterior renovations begun in 2015 as part of the landmark restaurant’s yearlong 50th anniversary celebration.
The major revitalization, which includes the addition of the new Cooper’s Bar, honors the Five Crowns legacy while opening a new door to a bright future.
“We’ve invigorated the Five Crowns experience,” said Ryan O’Melveny Wilson, Executive Chef and Vice President. “From our updated sign out front, to refreshed dining rooms, the new bar and a menu that honors our classics and highlights seasonality, we’re setting the table for the next 50 years.”
Five Crowns collaborated on the renovation plans with Hatch Design Group, YYES Design Studio, Robertson Hill Architecture and Roger’s Gardens.
The first phase of changes focused on a new landscape design, re-imagined branding and the traditional façade. A second renovation phase included dramatic changes to the interior.
Lush landscaping by Roger’s Gardens highlights the historic building’s English theme. Topiaries and boxwood hedges surround the property. A large, raised vegetable bed and aromatics including lavender, rosemary and sage embellish the front. Citrus trees enhance the back garden for outdoor dining and special events.
The eye-catching pole sign on Pacific Coast Highway features a bold new Five Crowns logo. While the iconic red telephone booth remains, the building’s exterior now showcases a multicolor palette, including a distinctive red stripe with metallic gold lettering painted above the windows and doorway.
The relocated entrance, with a larger front door, opens to a redecorated reception area that offers a direct sightline to the restaurant’s most striking addition: its vibrant new showpiece, Cooper’s Bar in the Greenhouse. Named for Chris Cooper, much loved co-worker and Lead Service Bartender for 42 years, this handsome, inviting bar features a stunning copper beer tower with rotating taps. Lively plaid barstools provide comfortable seating around a grand communal table whose surface is covered with thousands of authentic English shillings.
Custom designed, oversized glossy red benches add a touch of whimsy to the Greenhouse dining space enhanced with new chandeliers and side chairs. The sky lit room’s once green metal framework has been painted a deep, rich gray.
Vivid paint colors, eclectic wallpapers and fabrics as well as new flooring refresh the Main, Nelson and Crown dining rooms. Notably, custom hardwood tabletops replace the traditional white tablecloths. Cozy fireside nooks and antique British artifacts continue to be central to Five Crowns’ unique atmosphere.
Complementing the renovation, Five Crowns’ forward-looking menu balances innovative seasonality with the classic dishes that have made the restaurant a landmark. Guests can now enjoy greater flexibility by pairing seasonal small plates with a shared main dish or a heritage entrée from the Crown Classics section.
“The new menu offers favorites from our 50-year menu archives in addition to a daily selection of fresh fish, hand cut pasta and interesting wines,” commented Wilson. “There is something for every discerning palate, long-time guest or first time Five Crowns diner.“
Since opening more than a half century ago, Five Crowns has welcomed its guests to a world apart, a place of warm hospitality, the finest food and drink, a truly one-of-a-kind Southern California dining experience. Today’s changes — inside and out — signal an exciting future.
