Ben Frank's

Ben Frank’s was a restaurant in West Hollywood, California started in 1962 by Arthur Simms and Bob Ehrman.[1] The location, surrounded by the famous nightclubs of the Sunset Strip, led to a celebrity clientele and the 24-hour restaurant became a popular late night destination. The distinctive googie architecture and eye-catching neon sign[2] helped attract musicians like Jim Morrison and Frank Zappa[3] and patrons of the nearby music venues. The youthful patrons that frequented the restaurant inspired producers of The_Monkees_(TV_series) TV show to place an ad seeking “Ben Frank’s Types” when casting the show in 1965.[4] Arthur Simms and his son Thomas Simms went on to open two more Ben Frank’s locations and started the Copper Penny and Wooden Shoe restaurant chains. In 1976 they acquired The Kette restaurant in Manhattan Beach, California. In the 1970s they became partners in the French Market restaurant in West Hollywood, California. It became the model for their first Mimi's_Cafe restaurant, which opened in Anaheim in 1978. The company was sold to Bob Evans in 2004 and the original Ben Frank’s was closed.[5] Mel's_Drive-In renamed and rehabilitated the building in 2007. In 2020 they instituted carhop service.[6] Mel's_Drive-In redesigned much of the interior and added new windows but maintained the distinctive A-Frame architecture and replaced the letters on the original sign structure.[7] The original neon letters are on display at the Valley_Relics_Museum in Van Nuys, California.[8]