On Sunday mornings, Angelenos line up at All Day Baby in Echo Park to take their version of holy communion: fried eggs, hash brown patties, Belgian waffles, and smash burgers. The standard rites of brunch are elevated by the restaurant’s hip coordinates and liberal patrons (overheard: “Did you know aioli is just mayonnaise?”)
But something is missing on the lacquered tables crowded with iPhones, crumpled napkins, and sweating glasses of arnold palmer: salt shakers. Once staples of the restaurant booth–like napkin dispensers or bare legs sticking to vinyl seats—have vanished. Gone, too, is its loyal companion, pepper, and those floating ancient grains of rice in said shakers said to ward off the evils of “clumping.”
At All Day Baby, salt is only available upon request; waiters are at the ready with glass shakers for guests requesting more seasoning. Co-owner Lien Ta explains to L.A. TACO that the laidback environment—as she describes, All Day Baby is an “ode” to the classic diner–makes patrons comfortable when asking their waiter for salt. But does ambiance actually make it easier to make yet another request of an overly busy waiter? Or is removing salt shakers merely a shortcut to reducing expenses and increasing efficiency without curtailing the dining experience? After all, Ta says, “Nostalgia’s already on the menu.”
I drove around Los Angeles in my 2018 Ford Focus looking for answers. Or, as Jimmy Buffet would say (more on him later), “searchin’ for my lost shaker of salt.” What I found was nothing definitive but instead a host of reasons that capture the small decisions L.A. restaurants must make in their search for brand identity and staying power.
In November 2020, California issued guidance for restaurants to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including suspension of shared food items such as condiment bottles and salt shakers. Many restaurants pivoted to paper salt and pepper packets, like the iHop in Cypress Park, where the staff was required to dispose of all seasoning packets—even if unopened—between customers. “It was messy,” says employee Yubeo Luis, “[It was] a lot of waste.” In 2022, the North Figueroa Street location finally reinstated glass shakers. But not every condiment was so lucky: once prominently featured on every table, the chain’s alternative syrup flavors—strawberry, blueberry, and butter pecan—never returned due to (understandable) unpopularity among customers.