Dinah's Chicken
Los Angeles, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

At first glance, that big orange-and-white bucket might suggest a visit to the Colonel. Take another look, though. Dinah’s Chicken had its own roadside invitation, with a sign that made ordering a bucket seem like the natural thing to do.

Dinah’s began serving on Sepulveda Boulevard in 1959, becoming a familiar Westside food stop. The oversized bucket supplied plenty of advertising before anyone reached the menu. Apparently a regular-sized container wasn’t enough to announce this chicken dinner.

The restaurant’s long stay at its original location ended in 2024, but the bucket got another assignment. It moved to the new Culver City location, carrying a recognizable piece of the old restaurant along.

An unverified tale describes a man in a vintage suit studying a menu in an empty booth after hours. Think it really happened? Perhaps he was still deciding between a plate and a bucket.

UPDATE: Dinah’s left its longtime Sepulveda location in 2024. The bucket sign was relocated, and the Culver City restaurant now operates as Dinah’s Comfort Kitchen. 10-26

Arby's Roast Beef (Demolished)
Covina, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

A giant cowboy hat gave Arby’s Roast Beef in Covina a roadside presence that was hard to miss. The old neon marquee advertised roast beef with considerably more personality than an ordinary restaurant sign. Apparently a sandwich stop needed something big enough to shade the parking lot.

These hat signs became familiar landmarks at early Arby’s restaurants, combining the chain’s Western theme with the attention-getting scale of Southern California roadside advertising. Even motorists who weren’t thinking about extra Horsey Sauce had something worth noticing.

An unverified tale supplied with the history describes a transformer-like clicking sound after dark, followed by a fleeting outline of the vanished hat against the sky. True or false? Perhaps this cowboy wasn’t quite ready to hang up his neon.

UPDATE: This Arby's sign in Covina with the old vintage neon hat was taken down in Summer 2003. Many thanks to Joseph Tessier for update. 01-04

UPDATE: The Covina restaurant is gone, and its vintage neon hat sign was removed in summer 2003. Another oversized piece of roadside advertising tipped its hat for the last time. 10-26

Taco Bell (Gone)
Culver City, CA
Photo courtesy Georg Balandran

If you are one of the hungry types who makes a "run for the border" everything time the el stomacho comes calling, there's nothing better than a Taco Bell taco. Here an inside scoop. Per an anonymous tipster, the Taco Bell in Culver City was the first one. We haven't verified this info and perhaps the tipster is really a trickster. But you heard it here first.

An old tip claimed this was the first Taco Bell, but that honor belongs to Downey, where Glen Bell opened the original in 1962. Apparently the story took a detour toward the Westside.

An unverified tale tells of a bell sounding over the former site on quiet evenings. Fact or fiction? Maybe somebody’s still making a run for the border.

UPDATE: Looks like the 1st Taco Bell was actually in Downey. So much for that anonymous tipster. Many thanks to Steve Swanson for picking up this tidbit recently. 02-02

UPDATE: The first Taco Bell was on Firestone Blvd, in Downey, California. It was out by the All American Home Center and Guadalajara Inn. Glen Bell himself built it and ran it for years. Many thanks to Johnny Wareham for added info. 08-02

UPDATE: The original Culver City restaurant described here is gone. The actual first Taco Bell in Downey was saved and moved to the company’s Irvine headquarters in 2015. 10-26

Gar-Duno's (Closed)
Monterey Park, CA
Photo courtesy Sal Garcia

An after-school stop at Gar-Duno’s in Monterey Park could mean something to eat and a little time at the video games. For neighborhood youngsters, that was a pretty good combination. The food supplied lunch, and the machines found another use for the remaining change.

This was the sort of local hangout where an ordinary afternoon could stretch out between bites and another game. Long before everyone carried entertainment in a pocket, an arcade machine gave friends a reason to gather in the same place.

Unfortunately, the restaurant eventually closed, leaving its weathered sign to announce a business that was no longer taking orders.

An unverified story supplied with the history describes electronic game sounds and clicking joysticks being heard after the machines were removed. True story? Apparently somebody still had one more quarter to play.

UPDATE: Gar-Duno’s has closed, ending its days as a neighborhood food and video-game stop. The old hangout now belongs to the memories of customers who spent their afternoons there. 10-26

Tastee (Gone)
Covina, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Here's a chain that always seems to catch your eye as you pass by. It's Tastee and the familiar orange sign and red roofed restaurant. This location here in Covina sports the familiar Tastee look. Notice anything different? It may be your browser.

The building later changed from Tastee to Winchell’s Donut House, trading its earlier menu for doughnuts and coffee. A change of name brought another chapter to the same neighborhood stop. Apparently the sweet tooth didn’t have to find an entirely new destination.

An unverified tale supplied with the history describes a sudden vanilla scent during early-morning baking, as though the old soft-serve operation had briefly returned. Fact or fiction? Quite a topping for a ghost story.

UPDATE: This location has changed from a Tastee to a Winchell's Donut Shop. Many thanks to Joseph Tessier for update. 01-04

UPDATE: The Covina Tastee had become a Winchell’s Donut Shop by January 2004. The remodel ended its familiar Tastee identity while giving the restaurant another use. 10-26