Norms Restaurants (stylized as NORMS) is a chain of diner-style restaurants in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

. Founded in 1949 by used-car salesman Norm Roybark, some restaurants are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. the company operates 21 locations, all in

Greater Los Angeles Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino Coun ...

History

The first Norms opened on Sunset Boulevard near Vine Street in 1949. The oldest surviving Norms, declared Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument number 1090 in 2015, opened on La Cienega Boulevard in 1957, featuring a distinctive angular and brightly colored style that came to be known as

Googie architecture Googie architecture ( ) is a type of futurist architecture influenced by car culture, Jet aircraft, jets, the Atomic Age and the Space Age. It originated in Southern California from the Streamline Moderne architecture of the 1930s, and was pop ...

. Key characteristics include angular walls, large glass windows, jutting roof, and a neon marquee. Many Norms restaurants, including the 1957 La Cienega Boulevard location, were designed by the architectural firm of Armét & Davis to look like automobile showrooms. Their appearance has made them the subject of exhibitions curated by the

Getty Center The Getty Center, in Los Angeles, California, is a campus of the Getty Museum and other programs of the Getty Trust. The $1.3 billion center opened to the public on December 16, 1997 and is well known for its architecture, gardens, and views over ...

. In December 2014, the Roybark family sold the family-owned Bellflower-based chain, but not the land each of the restaurants had sat on, to an investment firm, CapitalSpring, for an undisclosed amount. "We cut across everything," Mike Colonna, the new president of Norms said in 2019. "We have the blue collar workers, white collar workers with ties getting a quick lunch, ethnic diversity at every table. We get late-night millennials, and our base of baby boomers. We're kind of retro cool and we think the Googie architecture is a big part of the brand." When the real estate under the La Cienega store was sold, Colonna reassured customers that the business would stay. "Norms has committed to the location long term," Colonna told ''

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

'' magazine. "We have an agreement with the landlord and plan to be in business for quite some time." The Norms restaurant on Pico in West Los Angeles was forced to close on Christmas Eve 2016 because the new landlords refused to renew the lease and had other unspecified plans for the real estate. County assessor records showed that the Roybark family had sold the land in April 2015 for $8.25 million.

In popular culture

* Referred to in the intro to

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

' "Eggs and Sausage" off of ''

Nighthawks at the Diner ''Nighthawks at the Diner'' is the third studio album by singer and songwriter Tom Waits, released on October 21, 1975 on Asylum Records. It was recorded over four sessions in July in the Los Angeles Record Plant studio in front of a small invit ...

'' * The location of a popular hangout of the characters of the TNT show ''Men of a Certain Age'' * Depicted in the 1964 painting "Norms La Cienega on Fire" by Edward Ruscha * Mentioned briefly in the third episode of the American Horror Story: Murder House, first season of ''American Horror Story'' * In his autobiography, Graham Nash mentions he, Stephen Stills, and David Crosby would have breakfast at the Norm's on Sunset during the recording of CSN's debut album. * In the 2015 film ''Woman in Gold (film), Woman in Gold'' starring Helen Mirren, the interior and exterior of a since-demolished Norms Restaurant on West Pico Boulevard in West Los Angeles was used. * In the film ''10 to Midnight'', Detective Leo Kessler (Charles Bronson) races past the location at 11001 West Pico Boulevard to save his daughter. Only the exterior is shown and even then only briefly. * Recurring location in Amazon's ''Bosch (TV series), Bosch'' * On-site location for Carl Reiner/Mel Brooks episode of ''Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee'' * Featured in Jerry Seinfeld's ''Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee'' episode with Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner "I want sandwiches, I want chicken"

References

External links

* * {{YouTube, id=P6osbxUmWiM, title="Victor Newlove on Norms and the Los Angeles Car Culture" 1949 establishments in California Companies based in Los Angeles County, California Googie architecture in California Restaurants established in 1949 Restaurants in Greater Los Angeles Restaurants in Los Angeles Restaurants in Orange County, California Restaurants in Riverside County, California