Freestanding fast-food restaurants have long been a part of Los Angeles’s culinary fabric. In every corner of the city — from the Original Tommy’s at the intersection of Beverly and Rampart to Mom’s Burgers in Compton and Cielito Lindo on historic Olvera Street — eating under the shade of a paint-chipped overhang has been an Angeleno tradition ever since automobiles and roadways gave rise to LA’s impressive sprawl.
“I came across this property online and something just struck me about it,” says Kathryn Karmazyn. “I felt like it was such a cute location and that it really embodied the aesthetic and feel that we wanted. It was definitely the location that was meant for us.”