Valley Village Couple Bring Their Strengths and Beliefs to Relaunching Phil’s Diner

Casey and Malissa Hallenbeck could easily list tenacity among their top, shared qualities. The couple certainly has needed it as the , which in NoHo Wednesday after being closed for more than 12 years.

There was the time when eight banks turned down their loan applications, which they submitted right at the start of the recession.

Then there was the time the diner was dropped from a crane, ripping out the back end of the 1920s historic landmark. It required months of painstaking repair. Casey and some friends from his work as a film set decorator essentially “rebuilt the whole thing,” he said.

Or perhaps it was the threat of the LA Department of Water and Power not coming through with services promised by opening date.

In each case the Valley Village couple faced their challenges with firm but diplomatic hands. They also recounted the details with levity and equanimity on a sunny morning, just days before their venture was about to open.

“We keep each other in check,” Casey said. While sometimes they do get thrown off by the challenges, they take the time to respond with a reasoned approach, he added.

In the case of the banks, they encountered one lender who stalled the process on their application for three months before telling them the bank didn’t lend to restaurants.

The couple wrote to the Small Business Administration to report what happened with the bank, in part to keep other business owners from encountering the same difficulties. They were connected to Los Angeles SBA Deputy Director Lorenzo Flores, who helped them find a lender.

Malissa and Casey each entered into the venture with expertise in fields that played a part in moving their vision forward.

Casey has worked in the motion picture industry for more than 30 years, so he is familiar with design and building. That experience came into play in creating the diner’s family ambiance, including details like a picture of his mom from 1948.

Malissa’s background in social services -- she was an LA County children’s social worker – lends to one of the couple’s goals. They aim to empower their staff do their best, and to show appreciation for work done well.

Malissa went on to get an MBA in sustainable management and created a successful business plan for the South Central Farmers' Cooperative.

Her experience with the cooperative informs her excitement when she talks about providing quality food for the community. It means the couple will buy as much locally produced and organic food as possible, while still having affordable prices for customers.

“I want to be able to answer any customer’s question" about the origin of our products,  she said. “If they knew (where it was from) they would make the better choice. Do they want beef from a slaughterhouse or a grass-fed animal that’s humanely treated?” Only animals raised in humanely treated farms are offered by the diner.

The ability to ask for guidance from experts is another trait the couple brings to their work. “Find somebody that’s doing it well and ask them to mentor you,” Casey said.

They have been thrilled to consult with El Cholo owner Ron Salisbury, whose family started one of the oldest Mexican restaurants in LA. Salisbury has generously shared his insights about building a successful restaurant, Casey said.

Another person to back the couple’s endeavor is LA City Councilmember Tom LaBonge. When Casey and Malissa weren’t making any headway with the DWP, LaBonge put them in touch with the right administrator and “we all of the sudden became a priority,” Casey said.

When asked about bringing together two seemingly disparate restaurant styles -- diner comfort foods and health-conscious menu items -- Malissa says the different elements reflect the area’s demographics. It’s a progressive community with a lot of young professionals and students, including people with special dietary needs, Malissa said.

But the nostalgia element will pull in customers from a variety of backgrounds. “We want blue collar Joe to come in for biscuits and gravy or a beer in the afternoon,” Malissa said. Since she spent years as a vegetarian, she is also excited to offer menu choices that will let a vegetarian enjoy the warm atmosphere the couple has cultivated.

Casey bought the closed diner in 1998, and he and Malissa met three years ago and immediately started talking about their ideas for the business. Not too many couples can claim to have nurtured a budding romance and a new business simultaneously. But with the opening of Phil’s, the Hallenbeck’s prove they are adept at giving themselves fully to more than one big venture at a time.