Original Tommy's

Tom Koulax, the son of Greek immigrants, opened a small stand at Beverly and Rampart boulevards, just west of downtown Los Angeles, on 15 May 1946. He sold hamburgers and hot dogs smothered in chili. Business was slow at first, then it never stopped: the original stand still operates, and the family still runs the company.

Tommy’s is so woven into Los Angeles that a 2019 Los Angeles Times count found 67 restaurants with some version of “Tommy” in the name and similar signs and menus, more than double the number of real ones. That is why the word “Original” is on the sign, and why the chain has gone to court over it.

Around thirty restaurants, almost all in Greater Los Angeles, plus a few in Las Vegas.