Massis Kabob Marks 50 Years, Eyes Airport

The Glendale restaurant celebrated its half-century anniversary with a community festival as it prepares to open its eighth location at Hollywood Burbank Airport.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Openings & Closings

Low stucco commercial building beneath palm trees on a Southern California boulevard, with a distant modern airport terminal roofline under bright afternoon light. — Massis Kabob, which began as a single stand in the Glendale Galleria food court in 1976, plans to open its eighth location at Hollywood Burbank Airport. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Massis Kabob hosted a 50th Anniversary Community Festival at its Glendale location on November 1, featuring an ice cream truck, churros, Armenian coffee, live music and face painting. The restaurant also plans to open its eighth location inside the main hall of Hollywood Burbank Airport's new terminal.

Why it matters

The planned airport location extends a five-decade local restaurant business into a high-traffic travel setting in the Los Angeles region. It is believed to be the first Armenian-owned restaurant in a U.S. airport.

Massis Kabob, founded in 1976, is marking 50 years in operation, and its planned airport location sits inside a terminal that cost $1.3 billion to build. The source does not give a revenue figure or opening date for the airport restaurant.

The players

Massis Kabob

A Glendale-based Armenian restaurant chain founded in 1976 that is now marking its 50th anniversary and expanding into Hollywood Burbank Airport.

Peter Baghdassarian

Co-leader of Massis Kabob alongside his brother Gevik, continuing the family restaurant business founded by Hacop Baghdassarian.

Gevik Baghdassarian

Co-leader of Massis Kabob alongside his brother Peter, overseeing the restaurant's operations as it reaches its 50th anniversary.

The details

Massis Kabob held its anniversary festival at its flagship location at 301 S. Glendale Ave., with an ice cream truck, live DJ, mariachi performances and a performance by singer Harout Pamboukjia. The restaurant began in 1976 as a single stand in the Glendale Galleria food court, founded by Hacop Baghdassarian, and is now led by brothers Peter and Gevik Baghdassarian.

- 1976: Hacop Baghdassarian opens the original restaurant in the Glendale Galleria food court.
- October 13, 2026: Hollywood Burbank Airport's new terminal welcomes its first travelers.
- November 1, 2026: Massis Kabob hosts its 50th Anniversary Community Festival in Glendale.

Market Landscape

The airport opening places a Glendale family restaurant inside Hollywood Burbank Airport's new $1.3 billion passenger terminal, which welcomed its first travelers on October 13, 2026. Adding airport concessions gives a locally rooted chain a presence in a high-traffic travel setting alongside the other vendors in the terminal.

Glendale diners can visit the flagship location for its established menu, while travelers passing through Hollywood Burbank Airport will gain a new Armenian dining option once the restaurant opens there. The source does not state prices or the airport opening date.

The takeaway

Long-running local restaurants can extend their reach into new settings like airports, offering established menus to a broader set of customers. For Glendale residents, the anniversary marks five decades of a neighborhood business that has grown from a single food court stand.