Musso & Frank - a brief history
The Musso and Frank Grill on Hollywood Boulevard
What do Charlie Chaplin, William Faulkner, and the Rolling Stones, and ME have in common?
We have all been regulars at one of Hollywood’s best local gems - the Musso & Frank restaurant at 6667 Hollywood Boulevard. The magic of Musso & Frank can be difficult to articulate, but here are some highlights:
Let’s start with the name - In 1919 it opened as Frank’s Francois Cafe. By 1923 it had been sold and the name changed to Musso & Franks Grill - and then eventually the Musso and Frank Grill. The official branding has no “s” on Franks but the “s” at the end of “Frank” persists! I still hear a lot of people refer it as “Musso and Franks.”
Musso & Frank also has quite the Hollywood pedigree. It was immediately popular with industry people as there was not a lot to do in Hollywood in 1919 (also not many restaurants to choose from) and Charlie Chaplin & Douglas Fairbanks, if shooting on the same lot, would have a horse race after they wrapped and whoever lost had to buy dinner. Its popularity has survived for over a century, and today when you arrive at Musso & Frank the waiters are happy to point out the preferred booths of Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe, the Rat Pack, the Rolling Stones, and Steve McQueen’s seat at the counter.
In the 1930s and 40s the big draw of Musso & Frank was the famed “Back Room”.
The Back Room started in the 1930s when literary greats like Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and Dorothy Parker were being imported from all over by studios desperate for writers now that sound movies were in. The writers began to gather at Musso & Frank, and the restaurant accommodated them by giving them their own space rented from the Vogue Theatre next door. It was a private space for celebrities and writers from F. Scott Fitzgerald, to Nathaniel West to gather to drink, write, and wait to see if any deals materialized for them across the street at the Shane Building - the original home of the Writer’s Guild.
I highly recommend dining Musso & Frank if you visit Hollywood - and reservations are highly encouraged as it fills up fast! If you’re not lucky enough to get in, you can always try for a seat at the counter, or grab a drink at the bar - Musso is known for having the best martinis in the city!
Hungry for more about Musso & Frank? Join me this Sunday, January 15th at 4PM for a virtual deep dive into the history of this historic restaurant with photos, fun anecdotes, and a Q&A at the end! Grab your ticket below and if you can’t watch live, all ticket holders will receive a link to the recording.
Click here for tickets for our Zoom Event - Musso & Frank: Recipe for a Hollywood Icon