The neon cowboy hat that hovered above Arby’s on Sunset Boulevard for decades is gone, the walls are stripped to the studs, and the once-familiar fast-food stop at 5920 W. Sunset Blvd. is officially in makeover mode. The longtime drive-thru is being gutted and reshaped for a very different kind of fried-food future.
According to KTLA, the property is being prepped for a Raising Cane’s location and nearly every trace of the old Arby’s has been removed. A Raising Cane’s spokesperson told SFGATE the site is “a strategic fit” for the company, with plans to open in late summer or early fall 2026. The chain intends to keep the drive-thru in place while adding outdoor seating, according to filings cited in that coverage.
The Arby’s at that address closed in June 2024 after 55 years in business. As Iconic Arby's on Sunset reported, the franchise operator blamed pandemic-era financial hits, rising costs and California’s $20-per-hour fast-food minimum wage for the shutdown.
The giant neon cowboy-hat sign that helped make the corner famous was removed in August 2024 and, according to preservationists and local historians, is currently being refurbished offsite. Efforts to have the sign declared a historic cultural monument stalled when the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission voted against designation in 2024, LAist reported. Where the restored hat ultimately ends up is still anyone’s guess.
What Raising Cane’s Will Change
Plans filed with the city show Raising Cane’s will renovate and modestly expand the existing building while preserving the drive-thru setup. SFGATE reports the project would add roughly 205 square feet to the footprint and create about 1,600 square feet of covered outdoor dining. The Hollywood outpost is part of the chicken chain’s broader Southern California push.
Preservation Push And Local Reaction
Local historians and neon-sign fans rallied to save the cowboy hat, and its quiet removal set off a wave of frustration on social media and among preservation groups. LAist spoke with restoration specialists who said the sign is being refurbished and could reappear at another Arby’s in the region. Even with that possibility, neighbors say losing the landmark alters the feel of that stretch of Sunset.
For now, the corner at Sunset and Tamarind is a hard-hat zone, a very literal construction site for Hollywood’s ongoing makeover. When Raising Cane’s opens, targeted for late summer or early fall 2026, it will answer one lingering question for locals: will the cowboy hat ever return to the boulevard, or will this corner settle into its new role in Hollywood’s ever-shifting commercial story?
