This is how loyal Rubi’s customers are: A man once begged Emily Cisneros to stay open so he could Uber from LAX, pick up his green burrito and peanut butter shake order, then Uber back to the airport to catch a flight home. Extra points for bringing a Rubi’s order back for his wife, too.

Rubi’s at the Quad is closing after 29 years. The Burlington Coat Factory one door down closed in 2024.

When the beloved Whittier restaurant shutters on April 18, the Staples store will be the last business standing on that corner of Whittier Boulevard and Laurel Avenue.

“It’s bittersweet, and the choice wasn’t made for us,” Emily Cisneros said about losing their lease. “But what do they say about God closing a door and opening another?”

The city hasn’t received any formal applications or filings related to business development at The Quad, said Margo Diamond-Nelson, Whittier community engagement manager.

News of the closure inspired a spate of online reminiscences from Whittier residents past and present. Locals said this Rubi’s, wholly separate from the Rubi’s Grill on Washington Boulevard, was their neighborhood hangout. Many said their grandparents first brought them in for tacos and a swirly cone and now they come with their children.

Mayor Joe Vinatieri presented the Cisneros family with a certificate of recognition on March 31.

“They have given back to this community for almost three generations and many of the ‘kids’ they helped brought their kids to experience Rubi’s and say goodbye,” he said. “This is Whittier at its best, giving back and celebrating those who continue to give back.”

On Facebook, Michael Crawford revealed his standard Rubi’s order: a beef-bean-potato burrito with guacamole and a root beer freeze.

“As good as it gets!” he wrote.

Rubi’s was Ramon Cisneros’ dream, his wife of 45 years said.

Ramon, 69, was working at Muchas Gracias Restaurant in La Habra when he met Emily, 64. She was there to have lunch with her co-workers from a preschool. They were the ones who gave Ramon her phone number.

“We met on Friday the 13th, and it was also Good Friday  so I figured it balanced out, meeting him on a bad luck day and Holy Week,” Emily said. “My friends gave him my number and he went looking for me and it was good.”

It was his bride who asked Ramon what he wanted in life. He said, “I want a boy, and we got two, then a house, and then I said, ‘I want to own a restaurant.”

The couple bought Rubi’s in 1995, moving the neighborhood favorite to its current location in 2000. Ramon improved on restaurant offerings, bringing in his own take on flautas, and perfecting a crowd favorite recipe for Guanajuato-style carnitas.

Customers remember their three children Ramon, 42, Paul, 38, and Kim, 31, studying at a corner table. The Cisneros children themselves said they’ve seen couples on dates at Rubi’s eventually marry and bring their children to the restaurant.

All three attended Cal High, Hillview Middle School and Orchard Dale Elementary School in Whittier.

“I’m happy for them. Their cups are full now,” their eldest, also named Ramon, said. “It’s been a long journey. They’ve sacrificed a lot for us and to be a steward in the community.”

His parents’ strong work ethic is a pillar in their lives, that, and consistency and dedication.

“My dad almost never takes a day off, and they’re here seven days a week, 15-16 hour days,” he said. “They’re my role models without them having to say anything.”

The younger Ramon said Rubi’s is a place of memories for so many in Whittier.

“And they remember it so vividly, coming in here for a burrito and then an ice cream,” he said.

For Ramon, who was born in Durango, and grew up in Whittier, ending their legacy helped him realize two things. First, they did work hard all these years, taking turns attending their children’s games and not being able to take many vacations. (They remember only one, 20 years ago, when their sons sent them on an all-expense paid Hawaiian trip for their 25th wedding anniversary.)

That gritty work ethic was bred in Ramon, who said he was 6 when his father Silverio first taught him to plant corn and beans in Mexico. He and Emily each have six siblings.

“I always want to do better,” Ramon said. “When I started at Muchas Gracias cleaning tables, I wanted to be the best at cleaning tables. When I became a waiter, I wanted to be the best at serving tables. It was in me.”

With retirement on the horizon, he said the best part about owning his own business was getting to spend so much time with his children, who grew up at Rubi’s.

“That’s the best reward,” Ramon said.

For Emily, who survived a gamut of health scares in the COVID-19 years, this is a second chance to savor time with those she loves.

“I have a shirt that says ‘Strong women make strong children,’ and God did that for me,” she said. “I’ve only ever wanted to be proud of my family.”

Jackie Leigh, 66, of Whittier, has been a Rubi’s fan since the day they opened, she said. She and her grandmother had a favorite table there, where they feasted on her green burrito and the best carnitas in town.

“I admire their commitment to their family and the community, they’ve tended to three generations of Whittier folks who have come through the restaurant and called it home,” Leigh said.

So many will miss their regular dose of fan favorites, such as the green chile ground beef burrito and potato burrito, pastrami quesadilla, and all variations of Foster’s Freeze shakes.

“They’re good people who happen to cook great food,” Leigh said. “We’re happy for the family because it seems to be the right time for them. But we’re mourning and we will miss seeing them. They were the Whittier version of ‘Cheers,’ they always knew your name.”

The Cisneros family said they return the sentiment.

“They’re not customers, they’re family to us,” she said. “All these years, we’ve made these connections and it’s like a chain. We’re all linked.”