Dinah’s Family Restaurant
A lesser known, or perhaps lesser celebrated, example of a restaurant that was built during the heyday of Googie architecture in the Los Angeles area, Dinah’s Family Restaurant on Sepulveda Blvd. in Westchester opened in 1957. Largely a family-owned restaurant since 1959, Dinah’s has enjoyed popularity as much for its fried chicken and oven baked pancakes as its place in popular culture as a film location. It became a focal point of a redevelopment plan that threatened its demolition. In a seeming David-Goliath struggle, the outcome, in October 2022, was the Dinah’s Sepulveda Project which would raze surrounding buildings, but leave Dinah’s standing and even renovated, but not without changes. While diner owners have vowed to remain open, the plan calls for the business to vacate the site during construction. How that plays out remains to be seen.
Westchester, Los Angeles County
Photographer: Andrew Schmidt