It is often incorrectly thought that the Brown Derby was a single restaurant, and the Wilshire Boulevard and Hollywood branches are frequently confused.

[4] It was founded by Wilson Mizner as a small cafe, across the street from the Hollywood hot spot the Cocoanut Grove at the Ambassador Hotel.

[5][1] Unfortunately the original restaurant was small and suffered from acoustic problems in which sound from one end of the building bounced off the semicircular ceiling and traveled to the other side of the room.

[3] Most of the rest of the block bounded by Wilshire Boulevard, Sixth Street, Mariposa Avenue and Alexandria Avenue was occupied by the Chapman Park Hotel and Bungalows which wanted to acquire the rest of the block that it did not own, including the lot that the original Derby had occupied.

Willie notices the restaurant looks like a hat, places it on his head, and stomps off with the lights of the Hollywood Sign blinking in the background.

[23][24] In addition, his Oscar-winning star portraits were displayed in the restaurant's "Academy Room," created for showing Volpe's art.

Aspects of the Brown Derby noted in the register include its Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, Churrigueresque detailing, arched entrance, wrought iron decorations, red tile roof, and its overall "extraordinary attention to detail," while aspects of the compatible building include its Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, false gable focal point, and Churrigueresque ornament.

Premieres of Hollywood offered an eclectic mix of American cuisine along with the original Cobb Salad (the recipe was found in the kitchen during the renovation).

After the original Hollywood Brown Derby at 1628 North Vine Street closed in April 1985 a spokesman for Walter P. Scharfe, who had purchased the chain a decade earlier, told the Los Angeles Times that the restaurant owner was “99% committed” to reopening the business at a new location.

[36] The location had most recently been a Howard Johnson's coffee shop and reopened as a more casual version of the famous eatery with a large painted derby hat gracing the exterior walls.

[37] In 1987 Scharfe told the Los Angeles Times that he had plans to open additional Brown Derby restaurants in Palm Springs, Honolulu, and Vancouver.

[40]" One of the dining areas was called The American Room and featured charcoal portraits of Academy Award-winning actors by artist Nicholas Volpe on the walls.

Oregon rock/swing/ska band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies recorded a song that cites the venue, titled "Brown Derby Jump", on their album Zoot Suit Riot.

The Derby was prominently featured in the 1996 film Swingers, in the scene where Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn's characters bypass the line at the front door, enter through the service entrance, walk through the kitchen, and into the club where Big Bad Voodoo Daddy are playing on the stage, in an ode to the classic restaurant scene with Ray Liotta in Scorsese's Goodfellas.

[48] In June 2004, when Hillhurst/Los Feliz LLC purchased The Derby and adjacent lots with a view to demolition and replacement by a condominium complex, the planned redevelopment became a cause célèbre for historic preservation activists.

In 2012, the Los Feliz Brown Derby space is occupied by the gastropub Mess Hall Kitchen[51][52] and a Chase bank, dividing the dome in half between the businesses.

It was a 24-hour[55] coffee shop designed by architect Rowland Crawford and located near the center's Desmond's men's store[56][failed verification] The address was 3625 Stocker Avenue, Los Angeles, California.

[57][failed verification] The location later became an early location of The International House of Pancakes[58][failed verification] The Brown Derby began a licensing program[59] in 1987, with an agreement with The Walt Disney Company for a replica of the original Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant at the new Disney-MGM Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.