#2: It wasn't the Sunset Grill, it was "Joe's"
- Raquel Guertzenstein Frohlich
- Jun 8
- 5 min read
If there's one thing I took away from all my interviews with diners, it's that almost nobody called the hamburger stand the Sunset Grill, only ever "Joe's."
This is the second post in a series of quarterly blogs about the production of my book, and I hope you enjoy reading through it!
Who I interviewed this quarter
Following an introductory post in the Facebook group "LOST ANGELES," I was able to connect with many diners for some interviews!
M.H.
Meeting on Zoom across international time zones in mid-May, M.H. told me about the 40-year time span that he knew Joe and frequented the hamburger stand. He shared the different meals he would eat in different decades, and shared the story behind an iconic photo he took of the stand.
Please take a moment to read and envision Eva's heated, one-sided communications to Joe that M.H. relayed for me:
Eva:
"Joe! You forgot that! You have to go back, get that for me."
"You have to buy the burger there! You have to go grab the buns!"
H.R.G.
Later that same day, H.R.G. and I spoke on the phone, and she told me about the time Joe refused to sell her a simple bowl of chili. I do hope to include many humorous tales in the book, in addition to the nostalgic ones.
D.L.
Our virtual interview covered everything from celebrity sightings at laundromats to the different flavors of Jolly Rancher Fire Stix D.L. would buy from "little Joe's."
A few days later, we met in Hollywood, and attended an exhibition at Musichead Gallery on Sunset Boulevard before walking around the neighborhood and re-visiting scenes from D.L.'s youth.
Thanks to D.L. striking up some conversations with people around us, I was able to connect with a few others who grew up in Hollywood and have stories to share!
M.S.
After the original Sunset Grill closed in late 1997, M.S. shared how he hunted down the individual ingredients to recreate his favorite burger --- a standard double chili cheese with grilled onions. Together with long-time friends (including one person interviewed last quarter), M.S. has hosted "Sunset Grill days" to enjoy the burgers they all remember. He also wondered if perhaps Joe was ahead of his time in cooking up smash burgers...
"Joe didn't serve french fries, but we all understood that would be a distraction from the burger. With that burger, you didn't need anything else. All you needed, maybe, was a second one, a second double-double." – M.S.
F.A.
F.A. first moved down to Los Angeles as part of a band (with a short but bright existence), and he spoke about how a meal at the Sunset Grill was always a treat.
F.A. also found and shared an interesting video posted by Hollywood Ambience on YouTube, which shows a snapshot of Sunset Boulevard in the early 1950s. And yes, you can spot the location of the hamburger stand right around the 4:56 minute mark, though at the time it was most likely known as Bridget's Kitchen.*
*This is based off the fact that a 1952 Los Angeles Central Area telephone directory lists Bridget's Kitchen at 7439 Sunset Blvd (page 155, a third of the way down in the second column from the left, for those who are curious!). Additionally, a public record shows that a business named "Bridget's Kitchen" requested an alteration on private property, and the document is stamped with the date of April, 10, 1950.
R.P.
At the very beginning of our conversation, we talked about bathrooms, of all things (did you know the grill's bathroom had a towel dispenser with reusable cloths that would be laundered?). R.P. also shared greatly-detailed descriptions of the grill and some of the day-to-day actions within it.
We then covered topics including how the immigrant experience can be shaped by traumatic family history, how Joe was a perceptive man, and the wide array of niche candy that he offered for sale.
"Joe was the most well-known dealer of PEZ... He had quite the candy collection, because the children of the parents who would come with their kids, they knew that was the place they could get some candy, and that was his extra revenue. He was very good at marketing, so he had something for everyone in the family." – R.P.
P.G.
In speaking with P.G., I was able to hear her perspective of the hamburger stand as a former Guitar Center employee. P.G. also suggested some Guitar Center-focused online groups to try reaching out to, which will hopefully lead to more interesting tales!
She frequented the Sunset Grill for most of the 1990s, and once quietly spotted Don Henley sitting in the corner and eating.
A blast from the past: a visit to the photography archives of Leigh Wiener
After meeting Devik Wiener, the son of photographer Leigh Wiener, at the Musichead Gallery, I had the opportunity to visit the interesting archive where his 400,000+ photographic works are stored.
Devik also shared recollections of the simpler times of living in Los Angeles, and how photography and media careers have changed over the decades.
This archive in Hollywood is catalogued and organized by Devik, who showed me a collection of enlarged prints and spoke of the stories and philosophies behind them.
To read more about Leigh Wiener and to view his work, visit the website here: www.leighwiener.com.
How's the writing going?
Slow-going, but going. As for the title, it will be in two parts and I've settled on the first half! It's a great title.
Four stories have been fully drafted, 13 are in progress, and two still need to be started. So far, I have 12 hours and seven minutes of interviews to pull short stories from.
I'll be making another outreach push soon to connect with more former diners who have memories to share!
And the book design?
I initially started playing around with some page designs in Blurb's free desktop software BookWright, but have since switched over to Adobe InDesign, which allows me much more creativity. I am also using Blurb's InDesign plugin that comes with print and page structure guidelines.
Got any questions?
Drop questions in the comments below or send me an email at raquelgfrohlich@gmail.com and I'll work to answer them all in the next blog post.
Want to share a memory about the Sunset Grill, or know someone who does?
I'd love to hear from you --- feel free to get in touch!
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