The idea for what is now The Derby was originally conceived in 1926 by the legendary film director Cecil B. De Mille and opened in 1929 as Willard's Chicken Inn. It was the "in" gathering place for Hollywood's movie stars. The dome shaped design of the roof actually had a unique purpose. Water was pumped up to the top of the dome and then ran down the sides into a moat to make this one of the first "air conditioned" buildings. The restaurant, which kept live poultry in cages on the premises, had the slogan: "Chickens whose feet never touch the ground."

After this, the structure was from 1940 to 1960 one of the L.A.'s five Brown Derbys. During Hollywood's heyday, the Brown Derby was the gathering place for Hollywood's biggest and brightest stars. In 1960 Michael's Los Feliz opened in the spot until December 31, 1992.
On January 1, 1993, The Derby and Louise's Trattoria (the Derby shares the same building and menu as Louise's) construction was started. Co-owner Tammi Gower and her partner (and former husband) Tony Gower were behind the renovation of the 7,000 square-foot space.
By far the most dramatic change was the unveiling of the 30-foot high ceiling, previously covered by a nine-foot dropped ceiling during the restaurant's former reign as Michael's Los Feliz. "My friends told me I was crazy to remove it", Tammi laughs. "They said I'd be opening up a can of worms." Yet her intuition proved perfect, and now the ceiling is one of the most striking features of the space. "When I seen the dome", says Tony Gower in his cockney accent, "I thought, 'You know, we could do something with this place'". And that they did.
The building has been restored in a way that evokes a lush 1920s and '30s Hollywood ambience and brings it into the '90s. "We knew we created the right feeling," says Tammi Gower, "when people came in and started ordering Martinis and Manhattans."
What Old Hollywood looks like at the Derby is set in a 100-by-35 foot room lined on one wall with six private booths hung with burgundy velvet curtains. Near the entrance is a heavy 1930 Brunswick pool table. Anchoring the center of the room is an ornate oval bar that saw service in the 1945 film "Mildred Pierce." This is the drama in which Joan Crawford said the immortal line "People have to drink somewhere. Why not here?"