Original Mel's Diner 3000 J St. Sacramento, CA, 95816 (916) 444-6357 www.originalmelsdiner.com. The Original Mel's Diner is a California institution that first opened in 1947.

David Ghaben, who owns a number of restaurants, said he hopes to open his newest Original Mel’s Diner franchise on Grant Line Road in Tracy on Aug. 24.

An employee straightens menus at the original Mel's Drive-In Diner on Geary Boulevard in San Francisco, Calif. Monday, April 18, 2016. (Jessica Christian/S.F. Examiner) ...

Large black-and-white historic photos from the opening of the original Mel’s in 1947 decorate one wall; at the little green booth where I’m sitting is a framed photo of George Lucas posing in ...

The opening of Mel’s Drive-In diner on Wednesday in the landmark Parasol building in Seal Beach sparked that nostalgia, she said. “It reminds me of the old days,” the 68-year-old Bellflower ...

The Mel's Drive-In at 2165 Lombard St., San Francisco, opened in 1985, although the now-closed original Mel's on South Van Ness Avenue opened in 1947.

At Mel’s Diner, that moment came early last year. ... Five Mel’s remain, with Fort Myers being the oldest (the original San Carlos store closed in 2008) and the focus of this review.

Nearly 50 years after its 1976 debut, only two of the original 'Alice' cast members are still alive. ... When the series debuted, Alice was already working at Mel’s Diner.