Stars to Receive Their Palm Wall Caricatures

When a famous restaurant closes down, or any restaurant, for that matter, the ending pretty much hits the same notes, time after time: The tables are moved out, the curtains come down, the dishes are donated or sold, the lights flick off.

But a restaurant where Old Hollywood reigns should be a bit like a real movie, where there's always fun clip after the credits roll. And such is the case with The Palm in West Hollywood, which serves its final steak on Tuesday, Sept. 30.

Will Oct. 1 be simply about stacking the chairs on the sidewalk? Nope: The Palm's celebrated wall caricatures, which number in the low 2,000s, will start to come down, drywall and all. The purpose? Get them to the celebrities and friends of the restaurant that they depict, or, if that person has passed, their family.

It's a task that'll take the better part of a week and a lot of power tools. Also, certain actors are cheek-by-jowl with each other, so the people tasked with delicately removing each smiling face will have to make sure they don't encroach upon another caricature's real estate.

A challenge, for sure, but one with a happy result. Several performers are excited to receive their portraits -- the star-sightings at the restaurant in its final days have been ubiquitous -- and others can't wait to pick up a family's members visage. Alison Martino, of Vintage LA, will receive the caricature of her dad, singer Al Martino. Making it more special? She expects to pick up the caricature the day ahead of his October birthday.

But the presenting of the caricatures isn't even the final clip following the end credits for The Palm West Hollywood: A new Palm will debut in Beverly Hills in November.

Who will be the first caricature on that wall? How many will add up, over the years to come? And where will the stars who took home their WeHo caricature hang their portrait, a portrait that watched over thousands of diners over years and even decades?

The Scene

Want to find new things to do in Los Angeles? The Scene's lifestyle stories have you covered. Here's your go-to source on where the fun is across SoCal and for the weekend.