It could be the end of an era for a place that came to define a certain architectural and food aesthetic for Los Angeles.
If all goes according to plan, the iconic sawtooth “Norms” coffee shop sign on La Cienega Boulevard — one of L.A.’s few remaining examples of Googie coffee shop architecture of the midcentury — would be replaced by “Canes.” Goodbye to the retro diner known for steak and eggs, hello to a new outpost for Raising Cane’s fast-food chicken strips.
The other Norms locations around Southern California would still operate under the proposal. But the La Cienega location is iconic. It was the subject of a famous Ed Ruscha painting, “Norm’s, La Cienega, On Fire” and was granted historic landmark status for its space-age looks so associated with post-war L.A.
The restaurant group that owns Raising Cane’s — a fast-food chicken chain — owns the space that houses the iconic Norms location and plans to change the location to a Raising Cane’s in 2027, when Norms’ lease of the space ends.