Like steak with baked potatoes, late-night dining is baked into Southern California culture.
“Twenty-four/seven has been part of the diner model for many, many years,” said Michael Colonna, president and chief operating officer of Norms Restaurants.
Norms, based in Bellflower, is a go-to for people who want a sit-down meal in the small hours. Another is Denny’s, which has a signature breakfast sandwich evocatively named Moons Over My Hammy.
Both chains were founded in Southern California after World War II, when California was on the way to becoming the most populous state in the nation and had a lot of people moving in to work late shifts at factories.
Norms was founded in 1949 by Norm Roybark, a car salesman. He opened his first restaurant near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, roughly across the street from where the Cinerama Dome is today.
Denny’s began in 1953 as a shop called Danny’s Donuts in Lakewood. As the business grew it evolved into a coffee shop and in 1961 changed its name to Denny’s to avoid confusion with a rival, as related by George Geary in his book “Made in California.”
Denny’s is now based in Spartanburg, S.C. and has more than 1,500 locations worldwide, most of them franchises.
About 75% of Denny’s restaurants are open 24/7, according to representatives. Nearly half of its late-night and early morning customers order a breakfast entrée, according to representatives. About 15% of them order appetizers such as chicken wings.
Norms remains a Southern California phenomenon. It has 23 locations, all currently in Southern California. But it is working on its first Nevada location in Las Vegas, a city that never sleeps. It will be at 4605 W Charleston Blvd., west of the Las Vegas Strip.
About half of Norms’ locations are open 24 hours. Others, in places such as Riverside, Inglewood and Costa Mesa, are open 7 a.m.-11 p.m.
Steak and eggs
Norms is marking its 75th anniversary with a “throwback menu” of comfort foods such as meatloaf and pork chops, but the anniversary is really about the place Norms holds in the communities it serves, Colonna said in a phone interview.
“It’s not just a product, or a menu item or a price. We’re really trying to embrace the history of our people and our guests.”
He described it as “really Middle America.”
“A lot of folks are working. You get hospital workers who are working the third shift. There still are some graveyard shifts. In Long Beach and other areas of SoCal, you’ll see a family of two generations sitting next to a couple of college students.”
According to Colonna, Roybark set out to serve great breakfasts and T-bone steaks to bring in a dinner crowd. Those goals are the cornerstones of a 24/7 diner.
“There is that group that’s looking to have the last meal of the night. And a lot of people are trying to have the first meal of the day as well,” he said.
“I would say breakfast is probably the No. 1 option. Lots of bacon, lots of sausage. Our hotcakes are award-winning. We make them with pastry flour, real buttermilk.”
Hopping after dark
All-night restaurants work because L.A. is not a sleepy town, he said.
“We have five or six locations that are hopping. You have to remember, some of our restaurants are in an area where there might be 300,000-400,000 people within three miles.”
He singled out restaurants in Lakewood and West Hollywood as being particularly lively after dark.
“La Cienega Boulevard is a great location. There’s so much activity 24/7, pedestrians as well as auto traffic.”
But getting away from the heart of the metro area, cities tend to roll up the sidewalks.
Some locations serve limited late night menus. “It’s a little bit reduced. But you can get breakfast, lunch, burgers, full meals, salad. The variety is very, very robust,” he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down indoor dining in California in 2020 and 2021, changed the demand for late-night dining, Colonna said.
“It’s not as significant as pre-COVID, and lifestyles are just different — going out late at night, the bar business. The social activity at nighttime is a little more homebound.”
Denny’s Gen Z and millennial customers are gravitating toward “off-premise channels,” meaning takeout, according to the chain. It has three virtual brands serving to-go food: The Meltdown, serving grilled sandwiches, The Burger Den and Banda Burrito.
Restaurants that want to stay open 24/7 have to bring their “A” game, Colonna said. He described Norms’ late-night shifts as premium and said they all have managers on-site. They also have security and good relationships with law enforcement.
“If you’re going to do graveyard, you have to do it well,” he said. “You have to have honest, hard-working people, and you have to make sure you can execute it. Customers just won’t tolerate anything bad, and they’ll probably end up at a drive-thru down the street somewhere.”
Information
Norms Restaurants: norms.com
Denny’s: dennys.com
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