Norms, L.A.’s icon of coffee shop architecture, would give way to a fast-food chain. Some are outraged

It could be the end of an era for a place that came to define a certain architectural and food aesthetic for Los Angeles. If all goes according to plan, the iconic sawtooth “Norms” coffee shop sign on La Cienega Boulevard — one of L.A.’s few remaining examples of Googie coffee shop architecture of the midcentury — would be replaced by “Canes.” Goodbye to the retro diner known for steak and eggs, hello to a new outpost for Raising Cane’s fast-food chicken strips. “Raising Cane’s plans to keep the legacy of Norm’s alive and maintain — forever — the iconic Googie-style architecture made famous by Armét & Davis when we begin improvements to restore the property and serve craveable chicken finger meals to the L.A. Community,” Raising Cane’s representatives said in a statement to The Times. Because the Norms location has been a historic L.A. monument since 2015, Raising Cane’s has to present their plan before the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission. “The idea of transforming Norms from a sit-down restaurant, family friendly, affordable to a place to go to get fried chicken is astonishing to me,” said Kim Cooper, one of the two people behind Esotouric’s Secret Los Angeles.