The very first Black Bear Diner opened in 1995 in Mount Shasta, where black bears come with the wooded territory. Growing up in the Northern California town, co-founder Bob Manley's childhood was filled with the colossal mammals.
Legend has it that when he was 12 years old, he had a close call with a nearly 600-pound black bear while on a hunting trip with his father. They ended up killing the bear, and to this day, Manley still wears one of its gold-capped claws as a necklace.
I'd been in the restaurant business forever, so I had the menu, I had the food, I knew exactly what I wanted to do around the restaurant operations, but I didn't have a real hook for it, said Dean.
Bob and his wife, Laurie, owned a wildlife gallery called Black Bear Gallery, so Bob came up with the idea for the restaurant, emphasizing the bear theme that would set it apart.
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