It’s 3:00 a.m. on a Saturday, and the Norms on La Cienega Boulevard is packed. To my right, a woman curls up for a nap on a bench seat. To my left, a waitress calls me “honey” as she pours me coffee. The grill sizzles in the background, and I order pancakes.
“It just feels like home when you come here. Even at 3:00 a.m.,” says customer Nickie Johnson, who’s decked out in a formal black dress and ordering an omelet. She grew up dining here with her grandmother and says tonight was a pit stop on her way home from a holiday party.
The Norms motto “Where Life Happens” has applied to this location 24 hours a day and seven days a week since 1957. But today, this restaurant is one of the city’s last all-night diners. LA lost 35% of its around-the-clock spots between February 2020 and February 2024, according to data Yelp provided to KCRW.
There was a moment in 2024 when it looked like this Norms might also close – and the threat is still out there. That’s because the Southern California chain doesn’t own its Googie-style building.
KCRW’s Megan Jamerson (left) and KCRW’s Danielle Chiriguayo successfully stayed awake to visit Norms at 3:00 a.m. on a Saturday. Photo by Megan Jamerson/KCRW.
In 2021, the fried-chicken chain Raising Cane’s purchased the property. Then in November 2024, they told the City of LA they wanted to take over the lease in 2027 and make some changes to the building, like putting their name on the iconic sawtooth sign. Because the restaurant has a historic designation, the structure can’t be bulldozed, and any cosmetic or structural changes have to be approved by the LA’s Cultural Heritage Commission.
Still, the public backlash to Raising Cane’s plan was instant and strong. Angelenos don’t just love that landmark building — they love to order breakfast in the middle of the night. Ultimately, Raising Cane’s halted their plans … for now. The company isn’t doing interviews, but a spokesperson told KCRW by email that they are talking to Norms about their future on La Cienega.
The Norms sawtooth sign on La Cienega is a beacon for hungry night owls. Photo by Megan Jamerson/KCRW.
The increasing rarity of a non-stop kitchen means a community has formed at the diner. Every Friday and Saturday night the tables are full of 20-and-30-somethings, says security guard William Holloway.
“They come in, and they may be a little intoxicated, but for the most part they respect your Uncle Will,” says Holloway, who works the 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. shift.
In comparison, a typical Wednesday is laid back with more senior-aged customers. “It’s a flow, but it's a quiet flow,” he says.
Katelyn Lance lives nearby and visits often because of the feeling of camaraderie between diners in the wee hours of the morning.
“You can just relate even if you don't speak to each other,” she says. “[It's] so important to have those spaces.”
In an ever-changing city, this diner also feels like an important link between the past and the future, says Jake Hook. They run the social media account Diner Theory, which documents LA’s historic eateries.
“‘What do I have in common with the average LA resident of 1949?’ asks Hook. “Probably not a lot — other than we both ate at Norms.”
KCRW’s Danielle Chiriguayo contributed to this report.