An exclusive Hollywoodland News conversation with Mark Echeverria, a fourth-generation member of the family of owners, and President/CEO of Hollywood’s most enduring restaurant, Musso & Frank Grill.
By Regina Luz Jordan
Editor In Chief, Hollywoodland News
Musso & Frank Grill:
A Memory That Stuck
The first time I walked into the Musso & Frank Grill was with my mom in April 2007. We were wandering Hollywood Boulevard for the first time. I had never been there before and I wasn’t in town for fun. That trip was the last time I saw my dad before he passed from cancer two months later.
I remember feeling a strange mix of awe and sadness, the kind of moment that sharpens everything around you.
We passed Musso & Frank by chance. It was open for lunch and felt like the kind of place you stop and honor without needing to know why.
My mom looked at me and said, “Should we go?” I said, “We should go.” So we did.
We didn’t sit in a booth once touched by fame or ask for anything off-menu. We just had lunch.
The hush of the room, the gravity of the space, the way the air felt like it belonged to another era. It stayed with me, especially as someone who had been living and dressing from bygones eras since the 1990s.
That moment, tucked between grief and curiosity, made Musso & Frank Grill a place I would always remember.
how the Musso & Frank Grill sets A STANDARD not A SCENE
Throughout my years in Los Angeles, I’ve been to plenty of so-called famous or historic restaurants. Some are legends in name only. You never know what you’re walking into. A few lean hard into celebrity lore, hoping a framed headshot will distract from the mediocre cocktails. Others rely on infamy, serving dishes that taste like cardboard under a blown-up crime scene caption. Then there are the ones with the view: city lights and sky-high prices, but little else to remember once the bill hits the table.
At Musso & Frank Grill, you know exactly what you’re getting. You go for the atmosphere, yes, but you also go for the food. It’s consistent. It’s well-executed.
It’s honest.
That kind of stability is rare in a city that changes trends faster than traffic lights and exports them to the rest of the world. And Mark Echeverria, President and CEO of the Musso & Frank Grill, made it clear that their legacy isn’t a happy accident. It’s a choice.
“We have been able to stand the test of time through our dedication to serving the finest cuisine in a familiar ambiance.”
That word, familiar, showed up again when Mark described how the restaurant became a touchstone during turbulent times, “When there is unfamiliarity in the community environment due to anything abnormal such as a pandemic, people really strive to go back to something that is familiar. Musso’s is proud to be that place.”
In a city obsessed with reinvention, staying the same is not a failure to evolve. It’s a form of power. Some places deserve to hold their ground. Not everything needs to be rebranded. Some things just need to be honored.
Musso & Frank doesn’t just serve food. It serves memory.
A Quiet Kind of Fame is one of the biggest draws for the Musso & frank Grill
For over a century, Musso & Frank Grill has let its walls do the talking. Charlie Chaplin. Marilyn Monroe. Frank Sinatra. They all spent time in the booths.
Yet you won’t find their photos hanging over your table. There’s no plaque with an arrow saying, “This is the one.”
Instead of spectacle, the restaurant delivers service. The staff is trained to let stories unfold naturally, never laminated into a menu insert or shouted across the room by a waiter fishing for tips. That silence is intentional. It’s part of the respect Musso’s carries for its past and the people who walk through its doors.
“We truly value the privacy of all our guests, and they feel comfortable to come to Musso’s where they feel like they are at home and can be themselves,” Mark said. “Our dining rooms have not changed since each one opened, and we take great strides to preserve the architecture and ambiance.”
Even now, after 105 years, they’re not coasting on history. They’re protecting it.
“Musso’s is 105 years old and we’re just getting started.” Mark Echeverria, President and CEO, Musso & Frank Grill
The energy isn’t performative. It’s preserved.
Familiarity in the Face of Change
For over a century, Musso & Frank has endured what most restaurants would not survive. It has outlasted Prohibition, world wars, recessions, industry strikes and a global pandemic. It has watched Hollywood Boulevard rise, fall and rise again. While other establishments pivoted or reinvented themselves to stay relevant, Musso & Frank never wavered.
“No matter what faces us, we will not conceptually change.” – Mark Echeverria, President and CEO, Musso & Frank Grill
That philosophy has carried the restaurant through uncertain times. Mark explained how during moments of upheaval, guests return to Musso & Frank because it offers something rare in Los Angeles: familiarity.
“When there is unfamiliarity in the community environment due to anything abnormal such as a pandemic, people really strive to go back to something that is familiar. Musso’s is proud to be that place.”
In a city obsessed with reinvention, staying the same is not a failure to evolve. It is a form of power. Some places deserve to hold their ground. Not everything needs to be rebranded. Some things just need to be honored.
A Legacy Rooted in People
The legacy of Musso & Frank Grill isn’t built on trend-chasing or reinvention. It’s built on people, the ones who work there, the ones who eat there and the ones who come back during times of uncertainty because it feels like home.
The commitment to care has stayed steady. The kitchen and floor staff have long mirrored the makeup of Los Angeles itself: a city of immigrants, dreamers and storytellers, and that’s part of why Hollywoodland News wanted to share this restaurant with our readers.
“Our team and our customers have included folks from every nationality for over 105 years,” said Mark Echeverria, President and CEO.
“From European immigrants in the 20s, 30s and 40s to Hispanic and Latino immigrants in recent decades, Musso’s has always represented a diverse array of cultures and influences.”
There’s something else people often overlook.
Musso & Frank has been female-owned since 1974. Rose Keegel, the daughter of John Mosso, took the reins and never looked back.
She won multiple Women of Excellence in Business Awards, and today her daughters continue to lead with that same strength.
Rose Keegel has Owned and Operated the restaurant since 1974, and now her three daughters carry on that excellence. – Mark Echeverria, President and CEO, Musso & Frank Grill
This history isn’t shouted. It’s lived quietly, consistently and without apology.
Stories That Don’t Need Names
One of the most moving stories Mark shared was about a longtime server named Luis Cortez.
“I have served tens of thousands of people here, and every one of them was special.” — Luis Cortez, longtime Musso & Frank server
“About 15 years ago, I was finishing an interview with a local reporter in the Old Room when Luis Cortez, who had been with us over 55 years at that point, came over to ask if we wanted anything else to drink,” Mark recalled. “The reporter asked how long he had worked here. Luis answered. Then she followed with, ‘Who was the most special person you have served?’”
Luis had served Marilyn Monroe. He could have said that.
Instead, he paused and said, “I have served tens of thousands of people here, and every one of them was special.”
Then he turned and walked back to the kitchen to pick up another table’s order.
This is what makes Musso & Frank feel different. It isn’t about who was important. It’s about who felt seen.
Musso & Frank Grill is more than a backdrop
Over the years, Musso & Frank has appeared in films and television shows. From Once Upon a Time in Hollywood to Ed Wood, it has become a character as much as a location. Every so often, you’ll be watching a movie and suddenly recognize those iconic booths or that wood-carved bar.
The bar itself is a study in old-world elegance. Behind its glossy curve sits a mirrored backdrop framed in rich cherrywood. Cut-glass cabinets display vintage bottles and glassware with quiet restraint. Stained-glass panes catch the warm light from overhead chandeliers, casting soft reflections across the polished surface. The entire space feels more like a time portal than a counter for cocktails. Nothing here is accidental. Every detail is preserved with purpose.
Within that preservation lies a boundary.
Despite its screen credits and celebrity appeal, Musso & Frank Grill remains a working restaurant, not a film set.
“We are a restaurant first and we go to great lengths to preserve and protect our sacred dining rooms,” Mark said. “Production companies who film here respect the integrity of our restaurant just as much as we do and thankfully they always do.”
The close-up never comes at the cost of character.
“We are a restaurant first.” – Mark Echeverria, President and CEO, Musso & Frank Grill
The Moment That Keeps You Coming Back to musso & frank Grill
For first-time guests, Musso & Frank Grill often feels like a discovery. The service is exact. The food is consistent.
The atmosphere is grounding in a city that never stops shifting. Most people walk out thinking, “That was something special.”
For regulars, there’s no performance. They don’t go for novelty or to be seen. They go because it feels right. They go because it delivers. They go because Musso knows exactly what it is and has no desire to be anything else.
Mark shared that this loyalty shows up in small but powerful ways. Guests come in expecting history. They leave remembering how they were treated.
“The history actually takes a back seat to how Musso’s makes people feel.” – Mark Echeverria, President and CEO, Musso & Frank Grill
That is not nostalgia. That is precision.
Looking Ahead
Musso & Frank has no plans to reinvent itself. That’s the point. The future will look a lot like the past, and that’s what keeps people coming back.
“Most of what we do is non-negotiable,” Mark said.
“The next 100 years will be filled with carrying on traditions, continually perfecting what we do and serving the finest people in the world.” – Mark Echeverria, President and CEO, Musso & Frank Grill
There will be no pivots. No themed pop-ups. No PR stunts. Just care, consistency and a place at the table for anyone who values legacy over flash.
Musso & Frank Grill is not a trend in a city that thrives on the next big thing. It is not a themed experience. It does not survive because it was famous once. It continues because it is still good. That is the difference.
In a city built on illusion, Musso & Frank Grill is real. The food is good. The service is kind. The rooms are quiet and the stories are deep.
If these booths could talk, they wouldn’t name names. They’d pull out your chair, pour your drink and let you be exactly who you are.
That’s why Musso & Frank Grill matters in 2025 and why this should always be at the top of your list to visit in Hollywood Every booth has a story and this one’s still unfolding.
Want to experience Hollywood history for yourself? Make a reservation, explore the menu, or plan your next visit at mussoandfrank.com.
Because some legends aren’t just remembered . They’re still being served.
About the Author:
While sipping her martini, and writing this story Regina Luz Jordan is the founder of Hollywoodland News, a Latina- and Indigenous-led media platform devoted to storytelling, legacy, and uncovering the cultural truths of Old Hollywood and beyond.
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