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Photos: The Proud Bird’s Makeover Brings a New Taste of Aviation History to LAX

The new look Los Angeles food bazaar has been remodeled as a tribute to the history of flying.

To the casual restaurant patron, The Proud Bird’s Facebook post from June 6, 2016, probably came as a shock. Lacking a description or any real context, the photo showed the longtime LAX-area restaurant gutted and partially demolished, with a yellow construction excavator in the foreground, seemingly eager to tear down the rest of this aviation-rich establishment. “What the heck,” one fan commented, adding, “so sad” with not one, but two exclamation points. Yes, had this been the end of The Proud Bird, after serving the area both food and aviation history for 49 years, it would have truly been unfortunate.

However, this wasn’t a sad occasion. Instead, it was simply a revelation that The Proud Bird had taken the form of a phoenix, preparing to rise from the construction debris and offer its longtime loyal customers a new dining experience. Last week, after many months of construction and renovations, The Proud Bird opened its doors once again, unveiling a brand-new food bazaar that boasts six culinary kitchens “inspired by the cultural melting pot that is Los Angeles.” Diners can choose from Chinese, Italian and American cuisines, among others, while also enjoying an overhauled cocktail menu from the playfully-named Mile High Club Bar and Lounge.

“Most guests come to a restaurant for the food, and that’s probably been the biggest change,” Specialty Restaurants Corporation President, Chairman and CEO John Tallichet told Flying.

But The Proud Bird is still about far more than the food, as the 50th anniversary reopening also revealed a deeper commitment to aviation history, something that is crucial to John, whose father, World War II veteran David C. Tallichet, got the family food business rolling in 1958.

“There are a lot of similarities from what my dad envisioned with the restaurant when he evolved it over time,” John Tallichet explained. “We still have the planes out front, and we still have the planes out in the park. Over time, he collected photos and put them up throughout. There wasn’t a rhyme or reason; it was just kind of an interesting place to walk around and see all the photos. Because we opened up the inside, we lost some wall space and so we had to reimagine that and create a lot of murals and more dedicated theme spaces. But because we opened the place up, we were able to put an aircraft inside the building.”

When diners walk into The Proud Bird today, they are immediately greeted by a P-40 Flying Tiger replica, which was originally out front. Two years ago, it was removed and sent to a facility for refurbishment; however, questions about the restaurant’s lease left the Tiger’s home in question. Fortunately, the Bird remains in the same location, and so the Tiger was brought inside to hang above a new aviation tribute that includes the Tuskegee Airmen and even a nod to modern aviation’s pioneers, including Richard Branson and Elon Musk.

Longtime patrons might be sad to see the restaurant’s old dedicated rooms gone, but the people who helped make this establishment so iconic are still remembered in delightful stories, like this one about the late Bob Hoover.

“There were certain displays that we had for certain people that had become more than just a bunch of pictures,” John recalled. “Case in point was the Bob Hoover display. He would come in quite a bit, and my dad originally put it down the hallway going to the restroom. He complained, so my dad moved it.”

The Proud Bird
Without context, the Bird’s demolition had a few patrons thinking it was the end of an era. The Proud Bird/Facebook
The Proud Bird
Early construction on the restaurant revealed the bigger and better look coming to fruition. The Proud Bird/Facebook
The Proud Bird
The massive interior had to be reconfigured to eventually fit the six new culinary kitchens. The Proud Bird/Facebook
The Proud Bird
The wide open space was also important for the new decoration that was being brought in. The Proud Bird/Facebook
The Proud Bird
While it sounds like a daunting effort, John Tallichet said the installation of the P-40 Flying Tiger replica was pretty easy because of the open space. The Proud Bird/Facebook
The Proud Bird
While the Bird has always paid tribute to aviation’s history, the P-40 replica is the centerpiece of the new, expanded exhibit. The Proud Bird/Facebook
The Proud Bird
Once raised, the P-40 replica was then assembled to complete its dominance of the “skies” above the restaurant’s guests. The Proud Bird/Facebook
The Proud Bird
The painstaking refurbishment of the P-40 replica began two years ago, after it had been removed from a piling outside of the Bird’s front entrance. The Proud Bird/Facebook
The Proud Bird
The other fiberglass replicas remain out front, as they were originally commissioned by David C. Tallichet to represent the airplanes his family owned. The Proud Bird/Facebook
The Proud Bird
As for the food, the six culinary kitchens offer guests a wide variety of dishes to choose from. The Proud Bird/Facebook
The Proud Bird
Beneath the P-40 guests can take in great moments in aviation history, ranging from the Tuskegee Airmen to Elon Musk’s quest for Mars. The Proud Bird/Facebook
The Proud Bird
Outside, guests can enjoy a cocktail from the Mile High Club Bar and Lounge while looking over the Airplane Park, which features even more airplanes. The Proud Bird/Facebook
The Proud Bird
The new and improved Proud Bird food bazaar reopened to the aviation-loving community on July 5. The Proud Bird/Facebook

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