Business was booming for Original Mels Diner in the late 60s and early 70s. The restaurant, which started in 1947, had ballooned to 40 locations across the west coast, one of which, with its neon lights and retro look, played a prominent setting in American Graffiti. In the years following the film's debut, however, the restaurant experienced hardships symbolically capped off by the sale of the very location used in the film. Since then, the diner has been slowly rebuilding itself by focusing on its original blueprint: classic American diner food and 50's nostalgia. The result is a fun atmosphere flanked with neon signs and ads for classic cars and sodas where customers can stop in for burgers, fries, milkshakes, and breakfast all day.