The Smoke House was founded in 1946 at the corner of Pass & Riverside in Burbank by Lockheed employees Jack Monroe & Jim Stockton and silent partner Bill Storey. The original restaurant seated 46 people, and was enjoyed by local luminaries Bob Hope and Bing Crosby (among others) on its opening night. With Jim as the promoter & front man, and Jack as the cook, the restauranteurs enjoyed much success and were soon looking for a larger building with more seating capacity. The Red Coach Inn at 4420 Lakeside Dr., originally built in 1947 by Danny Kaye, never opened as a restaurant because he couldn’t build a big enough dance floor in the 6,000 sq. ft. building. In 1948, The Smoke House moved into the building at 4420 Lakeside Dr. (its current address), and the restaurant’s success continued to grow under its slogan “Fine Food at a Fair Price”. By 1950, Stan Stockton (Jim’s son) had graduated from UCLA and spent his first week at the restaurant as a dish washer. By 1952, he was working in m...