Well, it’s enough to cause a fender-bender on Ventura Boulevard at Kester Avenue: Sherman Oaks’ Mel’s Drive-In—home to high-calorie, high-carb classics like chicken pot pie, burgers and fries and the Belgian Waffle Sundae (which stands alone at the intersection of breakfast, dessert and heart attack)—now bears a sign boasting gluten-free buckwheat pancakes.

And then, when you stop your car because you can’t believe your eyes, you discover another very green sign in a side window advertising a “fresh, natural, raw” juice bar where you can create your own healthy mix. Holy banana split, Batman!

Don't worry, Mel’s friendly management tells The Sauce: Mel’s—opened in 1989 as the first Southern California location for the California diner chain featured in American Graffiti—is just responding to current diet preferences. You can still get your homemade chocolate fudge cake fix here. Just ignore anything marked “New” on the menu: Quinoa and kale can strike without warning.

14846 Ventura Blvd., 818-579-4000