Celebrating its 50th anniversary, this is the World's Oldest Operating McDonalds. Tourists can always be seen posing near the golden arches or 60 foot tall 'Speedee the Chef' neon sign. The Los Angeles Conservancy Modern Committee
waged a huge preservation battle after the McDonalds Corporation closed this landmark location following the 1994 Northridge earthquake. A museum dedicated to McDonalds memorabilia is adjacent to the restaurant. Designed by Stanley Meston. Text courtesy
of Adriene Biondo.
Adriene Biondo
10207 Lakewood Blvd., Downey, CA 90240 Map
562 622-9248
Taco Bell Est. 1962
Adriene Biondo
"Seafood & Tacos Raul" seems to be the latest incarnation at the Downey location of America's first Taco Bell. It was here in 1962 that founder Glen Bell opened his very first stand which was called "Bell's Drive-In". A new mission
style Taco Bell was designed in 1964, when the first Taco Bell franchise was purchased at the intersection of Carson and Western in the South Bay. By 1978 when it was acquired by PepsiCo, the Taco Bell chain had grown to 1,000 restaurants...increasing to
6,800 by 1996. Adriene Biondo.
These are the humble beginnings of the Original Fatburger chain which now has over 50 locations. Here, founder Mrs. Lovie Yancey created the very first "Fatburger." But in 1952, the term "fat" meant "the best." And that it is.
Truly, the "Last Great Hambuger Stand." Adriene Biondo.
The oldest surviving Bob's Big Boy in America. Designed by Wayne McAllister and built in 1949, an addition was made to the building in 1978 by the architectural firm of Armet, Davis & Newlove which doubled its original size.
4211 W. Riverside Dr., Burbank, CA 91505 Map
818 843-9334
In 1961, fast-food entrepreneur John Galardi was pondering how to stand out in the fast-food business, when a vision popped into his 23-year-old head. Hot dogs, lots and lots of hot dogs. Soon after, the first der Wienerschnitzel
opened in Wilmington, California. In 1962, a second restaurant was built that featured der Wienerschnitzel's signature red A-frame roof. It was the beginning of a revolutionary design that pioneered the drive-thru concept in Southern California. The
company has since changed its name to simply "Wienerschnitzel" and grown to over 300 stores in ten states and Guam. It is now The World's Largest Hot Dog Chain. John R. Kielbasa.
Adriene Biondo
900 W. Pacific Coast Hwy., Wilmington, CA 90744 Map
310 513-8744