[2][3] Under the ownership of Jack Chen, the Cathay de Grande restaurant and its underground basement nightclub opened in December 1973, serving Mandarin cuisine.
[4][5] By 1980, new owner Michael Brennan had taken over, serving Thai food and booking punk and New Wave bands such as the Raybeats, Angry Samoans, the Flesh Eaters, and the Gun Club.
[12] Violent Psychosis, The Mentors with El Duce, and Circle Jerks performed the venue's farewell show.
[7] Shortly before, Danny "Dobbs" Wilson, a booker at the Cathay de Grande, started Raji's a block to the north on Hollywood Boulevard.
[15][16] In the song "The Desperation's Gone" from the NOFX album So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes, Fat Mike sings "Cathay de, I miss your smell."