Hollywood's Legendary Musso & Frank Reopens After Nearly Year-Long Closure
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – The landmark Hollywood restaurant Musso & Frank Grill will reopen Thursday for the first time since being shuttered last summer because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The restaurant, which opened over a century ago at 6667 Hollywood Blvd., will begin serving guests Thursday evening. Reservations can be made here.
Musso & Frank first closed in March of 2020. It reopened very briefly in June of 2020, before being forced to almost immediately close a second time.
CFO Mark Echeverria, a fourth-generation member of the family of owners, said the menu will remain "as intact as possible."
"With our reopening, we're being very careful to ensure that our 100-plus years of tradition won't change at all," Echeverria said. "For instance, our menu will remain as intact as possible – we want to keep all of our original offerings. Another tradition that will return is our focus on handcrafted cocktails, including our signature martinis – stirred, not shaken – James Bond got it wrong! While the bar will remain closed for walk-up service, our guests can still order their favorite beverages and cocktails to be enjoyed at their tables. Most importantly, our style of service, friendly team and finest cuisine are not changing one bit!"
During the pandemic, loyal patrons donated more than $100,000 to help furloughed employees cover living expenses, Echeverria said.
Musso & Frank was founded in 1919 by Frank Toulet and later Joseph Musso. In 1922, the two men hired French chef Jean Rue, who created a menu that remains much intact to this day. In 1927, they sold their restaurant to a duo of Italian immigrants named Joseph Carissimi and John Mosso, and Mosso's family has carried on the restaurant's Hollywood legacy.
The restaurant has appeared in dozens of films and television shows over the years, including "Mad Men," "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," "Swingers" and "Ocean's 11."
The restaurant will be open at 50% capacity per coronavirus guidelines for Los Angeles County, which moved into the yellow tier Thursday, and guests will be required to wear masks at all times unless seated at dining tables.
The restaurant's air conditioning filters have been retrofitted to provide hospital-grade filtration, according to Echeverria, who said bathrooms will be deep cleaned and sanitized every 30 minutes, and social distancing will be required inside at all times.
"We have always taken pride in maintaining the integrity of the past while embracing what comes next, and as our community emerges from the pandemic, Musso's is here to bring a slice of Hollywood history into the future," Echeverria said.
Musso and Frank will also be open Monday, May 10, as part of its Mother's Day celebrations. It's the first time in decades the iconic restaurant will be serving guests on a Monday.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
