Moore's Delicatessen

Moore's Delicatessen, also known as Moore's Deli, was an independent restaurant at 271 E Orange Grove Avenue in Burbank, California. It opened in October 2010 under the ownership of Robert Moore and Christine Moore and operated until August 31, 2020. The business served a broad American deli menu that included sandwiches, burgers, breakfast dishes, soups, salads, coffee, and craft beer. It was located close to several major entertainment and animation studios, including Cartoon Network Studios, Nickelodeon Animation Studio, and Walt Disney Studios, and developed a particularly strong connection with the local animation community. The restaurant's defining feature was its back dining room, where artists and studio employees were encouraged to draw directly on the walls. Robert Moore noticed that animators and illustrators were already sketching on napkins while eating at the restaurant. He supplied a bowl of Sharpie markers and invited customers to sign and add their own artwork to the walls. The first reported wall drawing was a depiction of SpongeBob SquarePants holding a spatula by character designer Robert Ryan Cory. The practice soon expanded into a large informal gallery featuring characters associated with television series and films, including SpongeBob SquarePants, El Tigre, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Regular Show, Adventure Time, Dora the Explorer, Family Guy, Futurama, Kung Fu Panda, Mickey Mouse, Monsters, Inc., The Simpsons, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The venue also served as a gathering place for animation professionals and fans. In 2010, storyboard artist Kent Osborne and colleagues needed a place to watch the premiere of Adventure Time. Moore suggested his restaurant, leading to what became the first of a number of watch parties. These events brought together creators, production staff, and viewers, while also adding to the restaurant's wall illustrations and reputation as a casual meeting place for the Burbank animation community. Robert Moore brought restaurant experience to the venture, having previously served as an executive chef at Dodger Stadium. The family also had a longer deli tradition: Moore's grandparents had opened a delicatessen on San Francisco's Union Street in 1946. This family background helped frame the Burbank restaurant as an independent, locally rooted deli rather than a national chain. Moore's Delicatessen remained a neighborhood restaurant and cultural meeting point for roughly a decade. Its closure was driven by the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic rather than a reported scandal or acquisition. The business attempted to shift toward takeout, delivery, and patio dining, but its sales reportedly fell by about 80 percent. Although the landlord offered to defer rent payments, the owners could not continue paying the lease. The restaurant closed slightly more than a month before its tenth anniversary. Robert Moore announced the closure on social media with the phrase "That's all folks," echoing the sign-off associated with Porky Pig. The restaurant also appeared in the 2015 film Uncle Kent 2 and was referenced in an episode of the animated sketch-comedy series Mad.

Moore's Delicatessen opened in October 2010 at 271 E Orange Grove Avenue in Burbank, California. The restaurant was established and operated by Robert Moore and his wife, Christine Moore. Robert Moore had worked as an executive chef at Dodger Stadium, while the family had an earlier connection to the deli business: his grandparents opened a delicatessen on San Francisco's Union Street in 1946. The Burbank location presented itself as an independent restaurant serving familiar deli and American comfort food rather than as part of a large chain. Its location placed it near several important animation and entertainment workplaces, including Cartoon Network Studios, Nickelodeon Animation Studio, and Walt Disney Studios. This proximity became central to the restaurant's identity. Robert Moore noticed that animators, illustrators, and other artists often sketched while eating in the rear dining room. Instead of discouraging the practice, he provided Sharpie markers and invited customers to draw on the walls and sign their work. Robert Ryan Cory is credited with making the first reported wall drawing, a picture of SpongeBob SquarePants holding a spatula. The wall-art tradition grew into a distinctive visual archive of contemporary animation. By 2012, more than 50 artists had contributed drawings. The artwork included characters from programs and properties such as SpongeBob SquarePants, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Regular Show, Adventure Time, Dora the Explorer, Family Guy, Futurama, Kung Fu Panda, Mickey Mouse, Monsters, Inc., The Simpsons, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Contributors mentioned in accounts of the restaurant included Jorge Gutierrez, Thurop Van Orman, Stephen Hillenburg, Sean Szeles, and Pendleton Ward. The restaurant therefore became both a place to eat and a casual, evolving showcase of animation-related drawings. Moore's Delicatessen also hosted viewing events. The first reported watch party took place in 2010, when storyboard artist Kent Osborne and colleagues were looking for somewhere to watch the premiere of Adventure Time. Robert Moore offered the restaurant as a venue. Subsequent gatherings attracted both studio personnel and fans, reinforcing the business's role as a social hub for the local animation community. Its connection to popular culture extended beyond these events: the restaurant appeared in the 2015 film Uncle Kent 2 and was referenced in the animated sketch-comedy series Mad. The restaurant's menu included deli sandwiches, burgers, breakfast foods, soups, salads, coffee, and craft beer. Although its cultural reputation was unusually tied to animation, it remained a small local food-service business. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted operations. The owners tried to adapt through takeout, delivery, and patio service, but business declined by approximately 80 percent. The landlord offered to defer payments, yet the owners concluded that they could not afford the lease. Moore's Delicatessen closed on August 31, 2020, more than a month before reaching its tenth anniversary. Robert Moore announced the closure using the phrase "That's all folks," a reference to Porky Pig's familiar sign-off. The business is therefore a defunct restaurant whose lasting significance rests on its role in Burbank's animation community and its artist-drawn dining room.

• 2020

  Restaurant closes during the COVID-19 pandemic

  [1]Moore's Delicatessenen.wikipedia.org

  After a reported 80 percent fall in business and unsuccessful efforts to sustain operations through alternative service formats, the restaurant closed on August 31, 2020.

• 2015

  Appearance in Uncle Kent 2

  [1]Moore's Delicatessenen.wikipedia.org

  Moore's Delicatessen appeared in a scene in the film Uncle Kent 2.

• 2012

  Dining-room walls become an artist gallery

  [1]Moore's Delicatessenen.wikipedia.org

  By 2012, more than 50 artists had added signed illustrations to the restaurant's walls, including characters from numerous animated properties.

• 2010

  Burbank restaurant opens

  [1]Moore's Delicatessenen.wikipedia.org

  Moore's Delicatessen opened in October 2010 at 271 E Orange Grove Avenue in Burbank, California.

• 2010

  First animation watch party

  [1]Moore's Delicatessenen.wikipedia.org

  The restaurant hosted a watch party for the premiere of Adventure Time after Robert Moore offered the venue to storyboard artist Kent Osborne and colleagues.

• 1946

  Moore family deli tradition begins

  [1]Moore's Delicatessenen.wikipedia.org

  Robert Moore's grandparents reportedly opened a delicatessen on San Francisco's Union Street, establishing a family connection to the deli trade before the Burbank restaurant was founded.

An independent neighborhood delicatessen combining conventional American deli fare with a distinctive role as an informal gathering place for Burbank's animation and entertainment community.

• Deli food · 2010

  Deli sandwiches

  Sandwiches were a central part of Moore's Delicatessen's menu and formed the core of its identity as a neighborhood deli. The available reference describes the offering at category level rather than listing individual sandwiches or ingredients.

• American comfort food · 2010

  Burgers

  The restaurant served burgers alongside its deli sandwiches and other casual American dishes. No specific burger names, recipes, or product-generation details are identified in the available reference material.

• Breakfast · 2010

  Breakfast foods

  Breakfast dishes were part of the restaurant's all-day neighborhood food-service offering. The available sources do not specify the individual breakfast items.

• Soups and salads · 2010

  Soups and salads

  Soups and salads complemented the restaurant's sandwich, burger, and breakfast menu, providing lighter or side-oriented choices. Specific recipes and menu names are not documented in the supplied material.

• Beverages · 2010

  Coffee and craft beer

  Moore's Delicatessen served coffee and craft beer as beverage options accompanying its food menu. The available reference does not identify particular brands, roasts, breweries, or selections.

• 2020

  Shift to takeout, delivery, and patio diningStrategy

  Background

  The COVID-19 pandemic sharply reduced in-person restaurant traffic and caused an approximately 80 percent decline in business.

  Action taken

  The restaurant attempted to continue operating through takeout, delivery, and patio dining.

  Aftermath

  The alternative formats did not restore sufficient business, and the owners closed the restaurant on August 31, 2020.

  Business decline. Approximately 80% decline (2020 COVID-19 pandemic)

  Source

• 2020

  Permanent closureOther

  Background

  The owners could not afford the restaurant lease despite an offer from the landlord to defer payments.

  Action taken

  Moore's Delicatessen ended operations on August 31, 2020, slightly more than a month before its tenth anniversary.

  Aftermath

  The Burbank restaurant became a defunct business, while its animation-themed wall art and community role remained its principal legacy.

  Source

• 2010

  Encouraging customer artwork on the dining-room wallsStrategy

  Background

  Artists from nearby animation studios were already sketching on napkins while dining at the restaurant.

  Action taken

  Robert Moore supplied Sharpie markers and invited customers to draw, sign, and leave artwork on the walls of the rear dining room.

  Aftermath

  The practice became the restaurant's signature feature and helped establish it as a gathering place for animators, illustrators, and fans.

  Source

• 2010

  Hosting an Adventure Time premiere watch partyOther

  Background

  Storyboard artist Kent Osborne and colleagues needed a location to watch the premiere of Adventure Time.

  Action taken

  Robert Moore offered Moore's Delicatessen as the venue, beginning a series of watch parties attended by artists and fans.

  Aftermath

  The restaurant strengthened its relationship with Burbank's animation community and became associated with informal screenings and fan gatherings.

  Source

• 2020

  Moore's Delicatessen closes after pandemic-related business losses[1]Moore's Delicatessenen.wikipedia.org

  Bankruptcy · Other

  The Burbank restaurant closed on August 31, 2020, after efforts to rely on takeout, delivery, and patio dining failed to offset an approximately 80 percent decline in business during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 2010

  Moore's Delicatessen becomes an animation-community gathering place[1]Moore's Delicatessenen.wikipedia.org

  Campaign · Other

  The restaurant hosted an Adventure Time premiere watch party and developed a tradition of inviting animators and illustrators to draw signed artwork on its dining-room walls.

1. 1Moore's Delicatessenen.wikipedia.org