Seven o’clock in the morning is an hour when many people would rather not be awake. And it’s definitely not an hour when most are in the mood to sing songs, solve puzzles, or crack jokes. But that’s exactly what the members of the Los Angeles Breakfast Club have been doing for nearly 100 years.
Founded by horseback-riding friends in 1925, this quirky LA social club began as a parody of fraternal organizations like the Freemasons, which were popular at the time.
Like these groups, breakfast clubbers have their own bizarre rituals — like an initiation that requires new members to place their hands in a plate of runny eggs, and a mysterious breakfast-related cryptogram that attendees read aloud each meeting.
The Breakfast Club’s traditional “initiation” for new members requires them to sit on a sawhorse named Ham and stick their hands in a plate of runny eggs. Photo by Zoie Matthew.
But the intent behind these traditions is far more light-hearted.
“At its core, it's truly been about getting together with a bunch of different people on a Wednesday morning, and enjoying each other's company, and having permission to be a little silly,” says LA Breakfast Club President Nora Vetter.
Part of the Breakfast Club’s morning routine involves doing calisthenics. Photo by Zoie Matthew.
Over the course of its nearly century-long existence, club membership has waxed and waned greatly — and about a decade ago, it almost disappeared completely.
“At that time, it was mostly retirees,” says Vetter. “It was about a dozen or so paying members, and there were some members that just thought they would play out their days, and then the club would fold.”
Breakfast Club members sing along with one of the group’s traditional songs. Photo by Zoie Matthew.
But other members — including then-President Lily Holleman Leirness — weren’t ready for that to happen. She helped the club revamp their website and social media presence, spurring a renewed interest from a wide range of Angelenos.
The Los Angeles Breakfast Club funded the construction of Griffith Park’s Shrine of Friendship Auditorium in the 1960s. Photo by Zoie Matthew.
These days, nearly 100 people regularly show up to the club’s weekly meetings and guest lectures at the Shrine of Friendship Auditorium in Griffith Park, which it helped fund and build in 1965. Recently, the group’s 50-year lease on the space expired, but they are in negotiations with Recreation and Parks to stay.
“We really hope to stay because there are so many of our artifacts from previous clubhouses there — like our horseshoe chandeliers,” says Vetter. “It just wouldn't be the same if we were somewhere else.”
The Breakfast Club’s cryptogram is read aloud by members during each meeting. Photo by Zoie Matthew.
Bethany Bowles, who joined the club in August 2022, says heading to the Shrine of Friendship every Wednesday is “something worth getting out of bed for.”
“You can have a little bit of predictability — we're gonna be doing all of this weird stuff, but it's just such a friendly environment, and everybody is genuinely lovely,” says Bowles. “And in a time of such cynicism in the world, it's just the highlight of the week.”
About a decade ago, LA Breakfast Club membership was waning. But now, around 100 people regularly show up to the weekly meetings and guest lectures at the Shrine of Friendship Auditorium. Photo by Zoie Matthew.
As one of the group’s most popular sayings goes, everyone who walks into the Breakfast Club is “just a ham or an egg.”
“We're non-religious, we're non-political, and we just want you to come and enjoy yourself,” says Vetter. “No matter your finances, no matter where you work, your background, your age … you walk in that door, and everybody is on the same level.”