Feed Me, Entertain Me

Several years ago (when I lived in the suburbs of Los Angeles), I went to a restaurant called Ed Debevic's. It was a recreation of a 1950's diner, where the staff was encouraged to act the part, in addition to just getting diner-style food. The neon sign said "Eat at Ed's"; they were always busy. A plus was the local talent pool: many of the staff were aspiring actors and actresses (but this one was located in Torrance, which is a long way from Hollywood and the hiring directors). I remember a gum-chewing waitress "named" Shirley who sat down and had a (50's era) conversation with us. I wish there were more places like that; life is too boring.

The only apparent web presence of Ed Debevic's is on the FeaturedFoods.com website, so I'm not sure if they changed their affiliation, or if I never had it right in the first place. Sadly, the only remaining location is where Ed's started: Chicago. I thought they were part of the legendary Lettuce Entertain You (Let Us=Lettuce, get it?) group, but I could be wrong. Here in Dallas, the only representative of that group is Maggiano's Little Italy®, which has two locations.

I nosed around a website listing restaurants in Torrance CA to confirm that Ed Debevic's isn't there any longer. I did spot a few places that I fondly remember, including El Pollo Loco ("the crazy chicken") which was an excellent chicken QSR (Quick Service Restaurant). I deem them excellent because they actually seemed to care about delivering a healthy product.