Southern California is the most significant region in fast food history, and two drive-thrus are on the Los Angeles registry of historical landmarks. One is the first of a nationwide chain that serves millions each year, while the other is a mom-and-pop shop that only locals frequently visit — here are their stories.

The Wienerschnitzel chain, originally known as Der Wienerschnitzel, opened in 1961 in Los Angeles under founder John Galardi, a transplant from Kansas City. He made his business a drive-thru to keep people from loitering in the parking lot, which made Wienerschnitzel more appealing to motor traffic from the Pacific Coast Highway.

In 2013, the Los Angeles City Council made the original Wienerschnitzel location a historic-cultural monument because the building is an early example of Los Angeles' car-centric culture and significance as a fast food hub. The minuscule building, less than 600 square feet in total, looks very different from modern Wienerschnitzel franchises.

The Munch Box is a family-owned roadside stand specializing in burgers, fries, and root beer floats that opened in 1956, but when it nearly shut down in the early 2000s, the city received 1,700 letters from locals urging the council to add it to the list of historic-cultural monuments. City councilman Hal Bernson took up the cause, adding The Munch Box to the registry in 2003.

The Munch Box opened alongside a railroad, and during the '50s and '60s, conductors would stop their trains there for lunch. Since those early days, the root beer is no longer made on-site for 10 cents and the horse-hitching post has been removed, but the building's iconic Googie architecture and the bulk of the menu remain in their original state.