Why the family behind this iconic Arby's has finally decided to hang up their hats

Arby's Roast Beef restaurant on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, famous for its giant, neon-covered derby hat sign, has closed its doors after 55 years. Its last day of operation was Friday.

On Monday, Gary Husch — Arby's general manager and son-in-law of the original owner — was in the back of the property hauling away trash when he caught a reporter staring at the bones of the drive-thru menu.

“There’s nothing left, is there?” he said

The menu was already a polyptych of long fluorescent tubes. The Arby's marquee, which a few days ago was plastered with advertisements for the chain's affordable slow-roasted beef sandwiches, now reads: “Farewell, Hollywood. TY for 55 great years.”

“You know, they don't make those signs anymore,” Husch said. “It was the 150th Arby's location ever opened.”

Since its opening in January 1969, the Hollywood Arby's has had only one owner: Marilyn Leviton, 91 years old and Husch's mother-in-law.

Husch said Arby's is simply no longer sustainable, citing a combination of pandemic impacts in a changing neighborhood, rising food costs and the youngest Law This increased the minimum wage for fast food workers in California.

“Customer numbers have declined in recent years. “Many offices in this area are now empty and we just don't have the same foot traffic as before,” Husch said. “With inflation, food costs have risen significantly and the $20 an hour minimum wage was the nail in the coffin.”

Leviton remained active in the business until recently, he added.

“The truth is, I think it was the pandemic that took our lives,” she told KTLA News. “I really feel like we should have closed during the pandemic [if it weren’t] for the federal loans.”

Years ago, the family partially owned two other Arby's: one in Santa Monica and one at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue. Those two have since closed. Workers at the Hollywood Arby's were laid off when they came to work Friday, Husch said.

The family owns the property and has not yet decided on a sale or the future of the Derby Hat sign. The building is already boarded up with plywood and plastered with wheat paste art posters.

The giant, neon-colored hat, which wouldn't look out of place on Fremont Street in Las Vegas, is now flanked by gleaming skyscrapers and film and television studios, including Netflix.

There were occasional encounters with celebrities.

Jerry Seinfeld and Seth Rogen visited the joint in an episode of “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” while reflecting on fame. In 2016, Patton Oswalt famously dined at its outdoor tables after winning an Emmy Award.

“His wife had just died,” Husch said. “He was just sitting there, thinking, I think, about his wife. … There are a lot of good memories here.”