![]() ![]() You can watch a video which features numerous photographs of the destruction by clicking above. The beloved coffee shop had been almost entirely destroyed. Police were called in and Yanik was slapped with three misdemeanor charges and his lease on the property was revoked. on the afternoon of Sunday, January 7th, 2007, Yanik illegally began to demolish the restaurant. But despite the historical status and the city’s rejection of the demolition permits, at approximately 3 p.m. Local residents and area preservations were horrified at Yanik’s plans to level the historic site and quickly took action, having the property declared eligible for the California Register of Historical Places, which protected it, in theory at least, from any alterations. Yanik immediately filed demolition permits with the City of Downey, but those permits were rejected. When the car dealership’s lease expired a few years later, a new tenant named Aras Yanik moved in. ![]() It was then transformed into a used car dealership and the interior was heavily remodeled to suit the needs of its new tenant. And while it continued to be successful, especially as a filming location, for whatever reason Johnie’s closed its doors in February of 2002. He still owns the restaurant to this day. Shortly thereafter, a former Harvey’s chef named Christos Smyrniotis purchased the property. He changed the eatery’s moniker to Johnie’s Broiler. In 1965, the Ortners retired and sold their restaurant to a man with the last name of Johnson. Much as it was depicted in License to Drive, the spot was a popular high school hang-out where teens would come to grab a bite to eat and show off their cars. Harvey’s Broiler, as it was then-named, was an immediate success, sometimes attracting over 5,000 patrons in a single weekend. According to Clayton’s 2005 obituary in the Los Angeles Times, the architect later called the restaurant “the most important commercial design of his entire career”. Clayton to design a Googie-style coffee shop on the 2-acre site. ![]() In 1950, the couple purchased a poultry farm located at the corner of Firestone Boulevard and Old River School Road in Downtown Downey and hired architect Paul B. Johnie’s Broiler was first founded in 1958 by former Clock-Broiler-restaurant-chain-partner Harvey Ortner and his wife, Minnie. It was not until this past year that the place re-opened and I was finally, finally able to drag the GC out there to see it in person. Sadly though, shortly after I moved to Southern California ten years ago, the eatery shuttered it doors and was then later partially – and illegally – demolished. I had been longing to stalk the historic restaurant ever since 1988 when it stood in for Archie’s Atomic Drive-In in fave movie License to Drive. Hold onto your hats, my fellow stalkers, ‘cause today’s post is going to be a long one! Another Bob’s Big Boy location that the Grim Cheaper and I stalked recently was the legendary Bob’s Big Boy Broiler, aka Johnie’s Broiler, located on Firestone Boulevard in Downey. ![]()
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