Norms diner on La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood is a landmark. | Photo: Shutterstock.
A proposed restaurant conversion is shaking up the fan world of Googie architecture in Los Angeles.
The iconic Norms coffeeshop on La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood is probably familiar to many. Its midcentury design has become a poster child for the Googie style that became popular after World War II, with its Atomic Age geometric shapes, angled or curving roofs and creative use of glass, steel and neon.
But in 2021, the coffeeshop—which has been designated a historic monument—was quietly acquired by Raising Cane’s for $16 million.
Now, with Norms’ lease scheduled to end in December 2026, the chicken finger specialist is planning to convert it to a Raising Cane’s.
The Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based chain has a proposal before the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission to convert the 67-year-old restaurant. The commission is scheduled to consider the proposal on Dec. 5.
Raising Cane’s proposed design for the conversion. | Rendering courtesy of Raising Cane’s.
In a statement, Raising Cane’s said it plans to keep the legacy of Norms alive and to “maintain—forever—the iconic Googie-style architecture made famous by Armét & Davis when we begin improvements to restore the property and serve craveable chicken finger meals to the LA community.”
That will mean preserving the pennant-style sawtooth sign, for example, which under the new iteration would say “Canes” rather than the current “Norms.”
“Our goal is to continue working with the Cultural Heritage Commission to ensure that legacy of Norms is preserved for future generations in the community,” Raising Cane’s said in the statement.
Raising Cane’s sales have been on fire this year, and the nearly 850-unit chain is on a growth tear, with about 100 units expected to open this year alone. Founder and co-CEO Todd Graves has sights set on reaching 1,600 units and $10 billion in sales by 2030.
It would come as no surprise that Graves would acquire the Googie coffeehouse. He is a man of eclectic interests who has bought a 66 million-year-old triceratops skull, for example, and owns the hearse that carried Martin Luther King Jr.
Raising Cane’s is also known for its unique flagship units in various markets, like the all gold location that opened earlier this year in Boston, and a stunningly pink unit in Utah designed by rapper/singer/songwriter and famed Caniac Post Malone.
And it should be noted that even less-flashy locations of Raising Cane’s typically incorporate very local touches in design (along with many references to the yellow Labrador Cane, who inspired the brand name). A recently opened unit in Encino, California, for example, tells the story of a 1,000-year-old oak tree (also an historic monument) in the neighborhood that came to a sad end.
When it comes to the Norms location in West Hollywood, however, change may be harder for fans to accept, at least according to the Los Angeles Times.
The substack Esotouric’s Secret Los Angeles, for example, is urging fans to attend the heritage commission meeting (or send emails) to share what the building means to them and “how losing Norms would make them feel.”
The substack notes that the commission has no power over what type of business operates in the landmark building, but can only protect the physical features called out in the designation.
The Norms coffeeshop has long been an immediately recognizable symbol of Los Angeles and, not surprisingly, has a long list of TV and movie credits.
It has appeared in shows like Jerry Seinfeld’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” for example, the TNT series “Men of a Certain Age,” the film “Woman in Gold,” and “American Horror Story.”
It was also the inspiration for the 1964 painting “Norms La Cienega on Fire” by Edward Ruscha. And TV producer Matthew Weiner got the idea for “Mad Men” at the restaurant, saying he wrote his notes for the beginning of the series in the coffeeshop.
First opened in 1957, it’s the longest-operating Norms location within the 24-unit chain, which operates mostly in Southern California but recently opened its first location in Las Vegas.
Founder Norm Roybark and architect Eldon Davis drew the concept for the pennant sign on a napkin, according to Norms’ website. The original sign has letters that “wash and flash,” a feature that exists at only a handful of other locations, though similar pennant signs exist at other Norms units.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.
