The building is named for Andrew Jackson Cook, a merchant who acquired 190 acres (77 ha) of land in the South Orange County area after serving as a private in the CSA in Springfield, Missouri, making fortunes through raids, which helped the western expansion to California.

Cook, converted the structure into a restaurant meant to supply food to miners and local ranchers.

Volker and Victor were proud of the fact that Cook's was a place to party with very few fights between motorcycle clubs and patrons.

Today's Cook's Corner is a wooden structure similar to a World War II-era restaurant and bar, built inside a former Santa Ana Army Air Base mess hall that was moved to the site.

During the California wildfires of October 2007, newscasters reporting on the Santiago Fire ate lunch at Cook's Corner, as well as firefighters working to control the blaze.

[citation needed] On August 23, 2023, a shooting occurred at the bar in which four people were killed (including the gunman) and six wounded.

The suspect, 59-year-old John Snowling, a retired Ventura County law enforcement officer, was pronounced deceased after reportedly being shot in a silver Toyota Tundra pickup truck, after attempting to flee the scene.