After more than 60 years in Westchester, iconic Dinah's Family Restaurant is moving to a new location in Culver City.
KNX News' Margaret Carrero spoke with the current owner, Mario Ernst, who said the landlords decided to sell the property, making way for a new development with hundreds of apartments.
Ernst said, "In the original phase of this, we were told that Dinah's will not be torn down and it will stay here, and we'll have an opportunity to operate, maybe in a limited capacity during that period of time."
However, eight months ago, he says, it was reviled that they would have to close for 2.5 to 4 years for construction. "It was a tough realization that, you know, been here for 65 years and then poof, for gone," said Ernst.
The restaurant has been in the Ernst family since 1959 when Mario's grandfather and a partner opened the doors on Sepulveda Boulevard.
Want to get caught up on what's happening in SoCal every weekday afternoon? Click to follow The L.A. Local wherever you get podcasts.
After conversations with his family, the Ernst's decided to keep the restaurant alive - in a new location, calling it a 'rebirth.'
Ernst says they were fortunate to find a space at Culver Crossroads, "I just feel really blessed that we were able to find it, and it's a space that allows us to keep a little bit of the charm of Dinah's, but then move us into the 21st century."
Ernst believes the new name and location will allow Dinah's team more freedom and creativity.
"We were a little bit limited on what we could provide being a family restaurant, and so we've renamed it Dinah's Kitchen so it gives us the ability to expand and play with the menu and work in some ideas that we've talked about for many years," said Ernst.
One of those big ideas is to highlight other family-owned restaurants across the US, "You know, every restaurant similar to ours has a signature dish - why everybody comes there, and so one of the ideas that we're going to play around with is introducing those types of restaurants and their signature dishes at the kitchen."
Ernst says all credit would be given to those who originated the idea or menu item.
They also never sold beer or alcohol at Dinah's current location, but Ernst says the Culver City location came with a 30-tap beer system from the previous owner, so "One of the ideas that my son came up with was that we should partner with the local breweries in Los Angeles where we'll sell and promote their beer, and then we'll do pop-ups at their location."
Their final day at the original location is April 30th, and they will open in the new space as 'Dinah's Kitchen' on May 6th.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
