Dinah’s is being reborn in Culver City after 64 years in Westchester

After more than sixty years in business, Dinah’s Family Restaurant is closing its doors and moving to Culver City due to a new development along Sepulveda Boulevard that would have forced the restaurant to close. The last day in the current space just off the 405 is April 30, before it opens May 6 at Culver Crossroads under a new name: Dinah’s Kitchen.

Dinah’s Restaurant opened in 1959 in the same Westchester corner it is now preparing to leave. The restaurant was known for its homestyle dishes, such as German apple pancakes, Belgian waffles and fried chicken. The building housing the restaurant became a Los Angeles landmark with its futuristic Googie architecture and iconic fried chicken bucket.

In 2021, initial plans were submitted to Los Angeles City Planning to build a new eight-story mixed-use building on the land surrounding Dinah’s Family Restaurant, but keep the restaurant as is. Mario Ernst, who owns the restaurants with his wife Teri, remembers being surprised when he heard the property had been sold to Fairfield Industries for development. The landlord had informed Ernst at the time that he would be able to continue operating from the current building during the planned four-year construction period and that a new location for the restaurant would be created after construction. “I was probably even more overwhelmed and shocked when I heard (the original plans),” Ernst says. “When I went home and thought about it, I said, ‘I’ll be 68 years old by the time this thing opens. I don’t even know if I’m still alive, let alone if I want to open a restaurant.’”

After taking time to consider his options, Ernst informed his employees about his conversation with the landlord, but told them not to worry as it would still take a few years. In 2022, the Los Angeles Conservancy wrote a letter to the Department of City Planning praising the developer’s plan to maintain and rehabilitate Dinah’s building.

But eight months ago, a different situation began to crystallize in development. Instead of being able to stay open during construction, Dinah’s would have to close for three to four years in September while a new restaurant was built on site. Ernst first thought about his sixty employees, some of whom have been working in the restaurant for more than thirty years. Choosing to stay put and wait it out wasn’t an option for him, especially since there was no guarantee that the new rent wouldn’t drive him out of the project completely. So he began the search for a new location that could serve the same community that Dinah always had.

Matthew Kang

Matthew Kang

Ernst found a new home for Dinah’s just down the street at Culver Crossroads, but after decades in business and the impetus for this move, he saw an opportunity for the restaurant to evolve. When it reopens on May 6, the restaurant will be renamed Dinah’s Kitchen. The change stems from the desire to expand the restaurant’s offering and experiment with the menu that goes beyond classic dinners. Ernst hopes to get in touch with chefs across the country to put their dishes on the menu. Another change that comes with the new location is a new focus on using local ingredients in dishes. While Dinah’s previously used canned vegetables and pie fillings, the restaurant will now use fresh produce and partner with local farms. Dinah’s has also made a new commitment to sourcing meat from local farmers.

However, the essence of Dinah remains the same with the move. The food will still be affordably priced, and the futuristic Googie architecture the restaurant is known for will be incorporated into the new, more industrial space. Most importantly, the restaurant’s iconic bucket mast will not be left behind and will be prominently featured in the new location.

While Ernst has figured out a way to keep Dinah alive, he sees the restaurant’s struggle as part of a broader struggle for small businesses affected by urbanization. Over the years of watching the neighborhood through the restaurant windows, he has seen small businesses close because of new development. “That bothers me because we’re losing that feeling of that place. It is special, because whatever the cause is,” says Ernst. “It will be a new chain.” Those concerns about displacement are echoed across Los Angeles, including in Echo Park, where fried chicken restaurant Rockbird closed due to construction next door. The popular candle store PF Candle Co. also reported fewer visitors because customers thought the store was closed. This concern is not without precedent since local deli Rolls ‘n Rye in Culver closed in 2014 and was replaced by Panera Bread. In 2023 alone, the Los Angeles Times reports that more than 65 well-known restaurants in Los Angeles had closed their doors. The issue of the proliferation of chain restaurants also goes well beyond Los Angeles, with a national trend of chains taking over where local businesses used to thrive.

Dinah’s will join two other iconic Culver City businesses in its new location. The restaurant’s new neighbors are Tito’s Tacos, opened in 1959, and Johnnie’s Pastrami, opened in 1952. Between the three restaurants lies nearly 200 years of LA history. “In a small corner of one block you have three of the iconic restaurants that have stood the test of time,” Ernst says. “None of us are posh, you know. We just enjoy good food with people who enjoy coming there.”

As of now, future plans for Dinah’s original location have not been solidified.

Dinah’s Kitchen will be located at 4130 Sepulveda Blvd and is expected to open on May 6, 2024. The last day at the original location of Dinah’s Family Restaurant will be April 30.