Musso & Frank Reopens After 10 Month Layoff

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Musso & Frank officially reopened on Thursday, almost a year after they closed entirely due to the pandemic. One of Hollywood's most storied restaurants will open at 50% capacity while Los Angeles County remains in the yellow tier.

"We find it quite fitting that our grand reopening today also falls on the Late Great Ruben Rueda's birthday!" We definitely have an angel watching over us and we are grateful for our memories of him everyday! If you happen to be coming to Musso's tonight raise a martini in his honor!"

Aside from upgrading air conditioning filters and adding standard coronavirus cleaning and temperature check protocols, Musso & Frank opted to keep tradition intact rather than surprising guests with new changes after the long layoff.

"With our reopening, we're being very careful to ensure that our 100- plus years of tradition won't change at all," CFO/COO Mark Echeverria, a fourth-generation member of the family of owners, said. "For instance, our menu will remain as intact as possible -- we want to keep all of our original offerings. Another tradition that will return is our focus on handcrafted cocktails, including our signature martinis -- stirred, not shaken -- James Bond got it wrong! While the bar will remain closed for walk-up service, our guests can still order their favorite beverages and cocktails to be enjoyed at their tables."

Founded in 1919, Musso & Frank had been closed since July 29, when they announced they would not reopen until indoor dining had returned in Los Angeles.

"We have always taken pride in maintaining the integrity of the past while embracing what comes next, and as our community emerges from the pandemic, Musso's is here to bring a slice of Hollywood history into the future," Echeverria said.

The restaurant will be open from 5 p.m. through 11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, while Sunday's hours will be 5 p.m. through 10 p.m. Reservations are available now at mussoandfrank.com.

Despite not serving food in over nine months, the restaurant has done what they could to support their employees during the pandemic. Musso & Frank set up an employee relief GoFundMe in December, seeking to help their 84 furloughed employees. Over 800 donors had contributed as of April 19, bringing the total sum to $110,686.

"So many friends, longtime patrons, and members of our extended Musso 'family' reached out to us without prompting, inquiring as to how they might go about making a charitable contribution to the welfare of our employees," Echeverria said. "We were touched by these acts of generosity. Knowing that dozens of longtime and new patrons were willing to demonstrate their support for our employees warmed our hearts. Everyone really came through for the Musso team and helped us achieve our $100,000 goal."

READ MORE: Musso & Frank Grill's Employee Relief Fund Reaches $100,000

Japan House Reopens In Hollywood With Nature/Supernature Gallery

City News Service contributed to this report.