Beach Vibes and Hand-Cut Fries: 40 Years of Islands Restaurants in L.A.
When the first Islands restaurant opened in 1982 in West Los Angeles, the gourmet burger scene was practically nonexistent. Diners would trek from the South Bay or San Fernando Valley to get a taste of the restaurant’s burgers and fresh-cut fries.
Popular items like the Hawaiian (a half-pound beef patty with teriyaki sauce and pineapple) and chili-topped Pipeline burgers have been on the Islands menu since the beginning. They put the restaurant on the map. As the restaurant grew into a chain, it gained a fervent following. Longtime customer Keith A. Llorens has been dining at the Islands locations in Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach with his family every Friday since 1992. He says he’s drawn to the brand’s food, service and atmosphere.
"We've always had good relationships with the managers, because any good manager notices the family that’s continually coming into the restaurant every week," Llorens said. "You tend to get some attention."
When Llorens' youngest son was two years old, a server would often take him on a tour through the kitchen where they’d say hello to the cooks. "Once that started happening as a regular occurrence, my son looked forward to that every time he would see that waiter," Llorens said, adding that another son of his ended up working at an Islands in San Diego during college.
Reiko Matsumoto, now Islands’ vice president of human capital, was part of the opening team as a hostess at the original West L.A. spot 40 years ago. At the time, she was a recent UCLA college graduate who wanted a summer job before going to law school. Matsumoto recalled how the original location had about 40 employees. It’s since expanded to 3,000 workers across 42 outposts in California and Arizona.
"I don't think anyone thought it would go where it has," said Matsumoto, who’s been with the company for 40 years.
Throughout the years, the chain has evolved — both in design and food — and in many ways, has been reflective of changing tastes in L.A. and beyond. Founder Anthony DeGrazier, who lived in Marina del Rey when he opened his first Islands, had been instrumental behind Islands’ metamorphosis, personally making tweaks to update the concept.
"The founder had a knack for knowing what was going to be the next kind of look that was coming, music that was popular, or flavor profiles that people would respond to," Matsumoto said.
Islands’ Humble Beginnings
The original Islands location, which shuttered in 2018 due to a leasing issue, was stationed on a nondescript corner of Pico Boulevard and Veteran Avenue. It was a block away from the former Westside Pavilion, which is now being redeveloped into Google's "One Westside" office campus.
Matsumoto, an L.A. native, remembered that when she was growing up, the community had an old bowling alley, movie theater and Midas auto repair shop.
"When we opened, we ran out of food," she said. "It was the right thing for that neighborhood at the right time."
Prior to launching Islands, DeGrazier had worked at other restaurants — mostly Southern Californian steakhouses — and owned establishments in Aspen and Dallas. He was a Texas native who fell in love with Southern California's vibe, Matsumoto said.
The impetus for launching Islands was that DeGrazier wanted to recreate the feeling he had when he went surfing with his Navy friends in Oahu in the 1960s, and they would hunt down burgers and fries afterwards.
The opening menu was simple: just a page long. In addition to the burgers, there were soft tacos, chili bowls and frozen margaritas.
The basket of French fries — which, to this day, are still hand-cut daily from fresh potatoes and cooked to order — quickly became a fan favorite.
"There's probably not a meal that we've had there where there aren’t cheddar fries on the table," Llorens said.
When Matsumoto was a manager at the West L.A. location, she remembered how their produce representative would go to the L.A. Wholesale Produce Market every day at 2 a.m. to buy a variety of potatoes.
"He'd call me around 4 or 5 in the morning and say, 'Reiko, meet me at 6 o'clock. I'm sending a russet, Yukon gold' — or whatever the potatoes he'd have," she said. "I'd meet him at the West L.A. store, and we would cut the potatoes and fry them up. Then the two of us would sit there at sampling French fries so that I could tell him which potatoes to go out and buy."
For Islands' first decade of business, at least all drinks — from beer to sangria and shots — were served in large beer mugs. Wine would be poured to the top of the glass for just $1.25 in 1982.
"We had a very simple service model," Matsumoto said. For Islands, it was easier for servers and runners to carry several mugs by the handles, rather than hold trays with teetering wine and shot glasses.
In 1993, Chart House Enterprises Inc. bought Islands. To keep up with Chart House having a more upscale chain, Islands began bringing in glassware to its restaurants.
There were other changes as well.
Islands’ headquarters moved to San Diego County, where it remains today, to be near its parent company. The brand largely expanded with new locations in San Diego, Arizona and Florida.
But a few years later, DeGrazier bought back Islands from Chart House.
"He had retired for those years we were part of Chart House," Matsumoto said. "I think he just had the itch and came back, which was really great for us. We got rid of the Florida locations. We simplified again. He was very practical and logical and liked to keep things simple."
Changing Design Tastes
The look of Islands has slowly evolved over the years. When the West L.A. location first opened, it had elements of Spanish design, with terra cotta tiles on the floor and Spanish-style tiles on the tabletops. Paper mâché birds served as decor.
"It was a nod to the proximity to the beaches of Mexico and bringing that vibe to L.A.," Matsumoto said.
As Islands grew in popularity (expanding with more outposts in Marina Del Rey and Pasadena within the first few years), the team found that customers most enjoyed the beach-themed menu and vibes.
Islands leaned into that. During the 1990s, the restaurants had a color palette of pastel blue, green, orange and yellow. Surfboards became part of the tabletops. There were colorful large canvas umbrellas that hung from the ceiling. Vibrant fiesta lights and blowfish suspended from the top of the bar.
Practicality seemed to be a focal point of the business. "It just got to be a little difficult at some point, like hard to keep clean," Matsumoto said. "Then we thought, ‘OK, let’s figure out how to simplify and get a real clean look in the restaurants."
In the 2000s, Islands opted for a more beach-y and natural look to be streamlined throughout the locations. Nowadays, the restaurants still have bamboo accents, tiki masks and surfboards decorating the space. The walls are lined with framed photographs of local beaches. It’s more subdued than its earlier days.
Andy and Rose Marie Layman, a couple who'd been going to the Islands in Marina del Rey once a month since 1988 until it closed last December, fondly recalled the grass huts that used to be part of the restaurant's decorations.
But more than the food and decor, the Laymans considered Islands a second home. They became close friends with other Islands fans, and even attended a server's wedding.
"We often referred to the Islands in Marina del Rey as like a 'Cheers,'" Rose Marie Layman said.
Another relic from Islands’ past that has stayed since the 1990s is its tradition of playing surf competition videos on the TVs. As the years went on, Islands adapted with customers' interests. They added snowboarding and skiing, and then professional basketball and football games. They still are mindful to keep the volume down so the restaurants don’t feel like sports bars.
"I love that we are still holding true to our concept of creating a getaway: a relaxed, disconnect experience for the guest," Matsumoto said.
Evolving Food Tastes
When Islands began experiencing more competition in the gourmet burger scene, the team developed more salads, tacos and chicken sandwiches to attract customers.
Islands' endless bowl of tortilla soup, another cult favorite, emerged out of the rotisserie chicken trend that was ubiquitous in the 1990s (i.e. Kenny Rogers Roasters). They began serving it as a chicken platter, and in an effort to not waste food, developed a tortilla soup with it.
"Then all of a sudden, we were cooking rotisserie chickens in order to make enough tortilla soup for the day because the soup took off bigger than the rotisserie platters took off," Matsumoto recalled.
Another shift began in the early 2000s, when diners were looking for more healthful food options. Restaurants, including Islands, began shifting their menus toward this trend. Islands brought in chicken and tuna wraps, and grilled chicken and fish rice bowls with pineapples and teriyaki sauce.
As studies began coming out about the dangers of smoking, the Islands team wanted to make their restaurants healthier for employees and customers. They became trailblazers when they enforced a no-smoking indoors policy at their restaurants. They did it before the California mandate was established in 1998.
"The only place we [experienced] pushback was in Arizona because it wasn't a law for them, but we just held fast to it," Matsumoto said.
Future Islands
DeGrazier remained involved in Islands until he retired in 2020 and sold the company to a group of private investors.
Amid the pandemic, Islands has had to weather a lot of changes under the unpredictability of COVID. They had to close eight locations over the last few years. But they’re evolving again.
"We're thinking about other ways to grow Islands because the pandemic taught us that we need to be really good at takeout, and able to bend and flex with wherever times are taking us," Matsumoto said. "It’s hard to stay fresh and come up with new ideas after 40 years, but we've got a great team who wants to try new things. It’s been really fun too."
