Los Angeles, CA - The Stan Kite Restaurant in Los Angeles is another great example of Googie Coffee Shop architecture. However, the Kite has been closed and the building has sat vacant for over a decade. Over time, the distinct kite shaped marquee disappeared off the roof and the building appeared to be headed for oblivion.

Stan Kite Restaurant from the past
Los Angeles, CA
Photo courtesy Georg Balandran

A folded roof and a tall, kite-shaped marquee once gave Stan Kite’s Restaurant a distinctive welcome along Vermont Avenue. Check out the old sign rising above the building, carrying the restaurant’s name where passing motorists could spot it. The roof below had enough angles of its own to keep a roadside traveler looking.

Built around 1957, this was the second restaurant in the Stan Kite chain. Architects Hyun & Whitney gave it the kind of appearance that made Southern California coffee shops so interesting from the road. A stop for something to eat came with a building that had clearly dressed up for the occasion.

Stan Kite's Restaurant with sign
Los Angeles, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The broad windows opened the dining room toward the street, while stone accents gave the lower walls a different texture from the sweeping roof above. From outside, customers could see the restaurant waiting beneath its unusual canopy. The building made its invitation before anyone reached the door.

Take another look at the roofline. Its folded planes stretch across the frontage, giving the restaurant a sense of movement even while everything underneath stays put. This was the coffee-shop era’s idea of looking ahead, with an ordinary meal served beneath something a little less ordinary.

Stan Kite Restaurant marquee from the 1990's
Los Angeles, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The marquee added another set of shapes overhead. Its kite-like form suited the name, giving the restaurant an identity beyond lettering on a wall. In the older views, the building and sign belong together, each doing its share of catching attention along Vermont.

The views from the 1990s preserve that familiar pairing. The tall sign still marked the restaurant, making the property easy to recognize from the street. For anyone following Southern California’s old coffee shops, this was another corner worth keeping an eye on.

Waffle Factory sign
Los Angeles, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

After Stan Kite’s closed, the building sat vacant for at least a decade. The windows were boarded, the dining room was quiet, and the restaurant waited through years when many similar places were disappearing. Its distinctive roof remained above a business that no longer had customers coming through the doors.

The original rooftop marquee eventually disappeared too. Losing the sign changed the appearance of the corner, taking away one of its most recognizable features. Fortunately, the building underneath survived, leaving something more substantial than an old photograph for a future owner to work with.

For once there is good news on the coffee shop front. Instead of reporting yet another loss of a roadside treasure, this time the news is the former Kite restaurant building is still intact and get this, will be reused as a new 24 hour restaurant.

Waffle Factory
Los Angeles, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

That opportunity arrived in 2008 with plans for the Waffle Factory. The new restaurant was intended to operate around the clock, bringing activity back to a place that had spent years closed. For once, the news on the coffee-shop front involved reopening a building rather than watching it come down.

The renovation gave the old dining room some much-needed attention. New counters and refreshed finishes prepared it for another run, while the distinctive exterior continued to identify it as a product of an earlier roadside era. The idea was to put the building back to work, with its character still part of the attraction.

Waffle Factory sink
Los Angeles, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

By May 2008, the Waffle Factory was open. The new name offered a fairly clear suggestion about what to order, and customers could once again sit down for a meal inside the former Stan Kite’s. Quite a change from the boarded windows and long wait that had preceded it.

The Waffle Factory will be the 24 hour restaurant located at 92nd and Vermont.

The Waffle Factory chapter was brief, but the restaurant story continued. Casa Honduras followed, bringing Honduran food to the former coffee shop. A different menu found a home beneath the same angular roof, giving the building another chance to serve the neighborhood.

Waffle Factory interior
Los Angeles, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

That continued use is a welcome part of the story. The original marquee is gone, and the business has changed more than once, but the glass-fronted restaurant escaped the fate of many of its roadside companions. Its appearance still offers a reason to pause along Vermont, even for travelers who remember a different name out front.

UPDATE: The marquee is now history. 08-05

UPDATE: According to Adriene Biondo who happened upon the new owners of The Waffle Factory while they were installing a gigantic granite countertop, the two owners were very proud that they're contributing something positive to the community and wanted to preserve the uniqueness of the architecture, yet adapt it to work for the community. The one owner is also a general contractor and said he was raised in Inglewood and has invested in property there. It seems they're using high quality materials throughout.  Take a look at the bathroom sinks. The plans are for The Waffle Factory to open between April - May 15th of 2008. The place appears to be worth a visit and hopefully will be a fixture in the community for many years. Many thanks to Adriene Biondo for info on the Waffle Factory. 04-08

UPDATE: The former Stan Kite’s building continues as La Casa Honduras, which has served the neighborhood since 2010. The Waffle Factory name has passed into its history, but the property remains a working restaurant. The old rooftop sign is gone, while the distinctive coffee-shop structure still stands at Vermont and 92nd. Fortunately, this roadside stop found another use before the bulldozers found it. 10-26

More photos

Google Street View Image

More Spotlights from Southern California