Eating Out, Inside

Argh! This pandemic is driving me stir-crazy. Yes, I'm lucky to live in Southern California where the weather is almost always nice. During the Covid-19 crisis, if we're not inside our homes, we cannot gather with any amount of people in a public inside space. No crowded clubs, theaters or RESTAURANTS. I want to eat INSIDE a restaurant....a coffee shop interior being my preferred favorite!

Denny's Coffee Shop Interior, 1970

Like many people, I've always been attracted to mid-20th century coffee shop design, especially the interiors. They have large windows so you can see the warm and inviting atmosphere inside. This type of architecture was designed to lure people sitting in traffic to visit. Coffee shops of the late1940's to the 1970's usually exhibited "theme" architecture known as "Googie," after the premier coffee shop space-age design. You can read about the origins of this type of architecture here.

I came across some coffee shop interiors on Facebook, highlighted in the group, "Photos from Mid-Century Modern and Historical Los Angeles in the '60s, '70s, and '80s." I was immediately captivated by the bright and cheerful interiors. The early coffee shops remind of Tomorrow Land at Disneyland!

International House of Pancakes, 1970

The architecture firm of Armet and Davis desgined many of these space-age style coffee shops in Los Angeles, including Denny's and Pann's, featured here. 

Pann's Coffee Shop, 2010 and 2020

I'm not sure who was responsible for the IHOP (International House of Pancakes) A-Frame design, but I love it!  Johnnie's Broiler in Downey, now a Bob's Big Boy was originally designed by Paul B. Clayton.

Bob's Big Boy, Downey, 2010 and 2020

One day we'll be able to gather together at a google-style coffee shop. I'm so looking forward to that time. Sigh.