In 1949, Los Angeles native Norm Roybark opened one of the first 24/7 restaurants in Southern California. A small diner located near the famed Hollywood corner of Sunset and Vine, NORMS quickly became a neighborhood destination by delivering on its promise of “great food, great service, and great value.” As one of the most famous diners in Los Angeles, today, NORMS has 24 locations across Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties, with more on the way in 2025.

NORMS La Cienega in Los Angeles (opened in 1957) remains the longest operating restaurant to date. This historic and cultural monument was designed during the popular Googie architecture craze that swept the nation in the mid-20th century. Eldon Davis, of Armet Davis Newlove Architects in Santa Monica, designed the location to feature upswept roofs, geometric shapes, and bold use of glass, neon, and steel.

The second longest operating NORMS is in Huntington Park (opened in 1959). Located on Slauson Avenue, it’s known for its full-exhibition cooking, a design which allows guests to enjoy a front-row seat and observe the cooks in action. In 1991, NORMS opened in Whittier with a design inspired by the Googie architecture of previous locations. In fact, the restaurant was designed by the same firm responsible for the historic La Cienega location.

NORMS iconic sawtooth pennant sign, originally designed for the La Cienega location, continues the Googie trend. Founder Norm Roybark and architect Eldon Davis actually drew the concept for the sign on a napkin! The original metal sign at La Cienega has letters that wash and flash, a feature that only exists at a handful of other locations.

NORMS is iconic to Los Angeles and pops up in films and TEV often.  Here are a few examples.

Jerry Seinfeld shot an episode at NORMS in West Hollywood for his show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Jerry picked up his guest, Carl Reiner, in a 1960 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II and headed to NORMS, which had been originally designed to resemble an auto showroom, complete with bucket seats!

Men of a Certain Age on TNT starring Ray Romano, Andre Braugher, and Scott Bakula, claimed NORMS as their character’s favorite hangout.

Graham Nash, of Crosby Stills & Nash, wrote in his autobiography, Wild Tales, that he, Stephen Stills, and David Crosby would have breakfast at the NORMS on Sunset during the recording of CSN’s iconic debut album.

Helen Mirren starred in the film Woman in Gold with Ryan Reynolds, in 2015. NORMS on West Pico Boulevard (no longer open) was used in both exterior and interior shots.

NORMS was also mentioned in the third episode of the first season of American Horror Story.