Frank's Restaurant from "Gone Girl" and "Parks and Recreation"

Apr 4

Apr 4 Frank's Restaurant from "Gone Girl" and "Parks and Recreation"

LOCATION

Frank's Restaurant, a no-frills diner-style spot and Burbank landmark that's appeared in everything from "Gone Girl" to "Parks and Rec".

ADDRESS

Frank's Restaurant
916 W Olive Avenue
Burbank, CA

STORY & PHOTOS

Frank's Restaurant has been on my to-visit list for years, but for some reason I never made it there (which is especially weird since it's literally on the same street as the hotel I usually stay at in Burbank). But this year - I made it! I was spurred on by the fact that it appeared in "Gone Girl", which was one of my favorite films of 2014. I love Ben Affleck and David Fincher, so it was like tailor-made for me. Frank's is the setting for the coffee shop scene where Nick (Ben Affleck), his sister Margo (Carrie Coon), and his lawyer Tanner Bolt (Tyler Perry) discuss whether to tell police about Nick's affair with a coed and the shed full of stuff at his sister's house.

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Frank's has appeared on screen plenty of other times, too. My real favorite is from "Parks and Rec" -- it's where Ron (Nick Offerman) and Tammy (Offerman's real life wife Megan Mullally) go out to lunch in the appropriately titled episode "Ron and Tammy".

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(After lunch, they speed off to the Glen Capri Motel to get it on. Producers didn't disguise the name of either Burbank-area locale.) You can also see Frank's in "CSI", "Criminal Minds", and the Tom Hanks film "Larry Crowne", among other things.

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I hit up Frank's for breakfast on a recent trip to the L.A./Burbank area. It's possible I frightened my waitress because I couldn't help but dance a little in my seat to the fantastic throwback radio station they were listening to in the kitchen. But we all survived, so it's cool. Frank's is certainly a no-frills place, but they serve breakfast all day so I'm there. And my breakfast was good! Plus, I'm pretty sure Alex and I were sitting in the Ron and Tammy booth.

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After we ate, my pal Alex snapped photos of me in various places around the restaurant, which I'm sure weirded out the other patrons. But, you know, #LiveYourLife.