Carneys was founded in 1975 by John Wolfe, S,r. and his wife Pat Wolfe. Together they worked countless hours building the restaurant into a Sunset Strip destination. In a time when hamburger establishments were popping up all over the place, John chose to build a restaurant out of an old Pacific Railroad passenger train. Being a former radio executive, he understood the importance of lasting impressions and being different. Not only was John good at publicity but he could also cook amazing burgers and hot dogs.

Listen to a classic Carneys radio spot from 1975

John knew that by building a portable restaurant that if anything were to happen to their Sunset Strip lease, they could simply pick up and move their business elsewhere. Needless to say, the business is still around today and has become quite the LA Landmark. In 1981 Carneys decided to add another location on Ventura Blvd in Studio City.