For anyone who steps on the Warner Bros. Studios lot, one employee who is certain to make you feel at home is Hariton “Harry” Dashjian.
Dashjian is Armenian but was born and raised in Baghdad, Iraq, and left for the United States as a teenager in 1978. The youngest of four boys, Dashjian, along with his father, planned to meet his mother and two of his siblings who had already immigrated to Southern California.
The two first stopped in Istanbul, Turkey, before going to Athens, Greece. From there, they went to Italy and tried to travel to the U.S. When this initial attempt didn’t pan out, they ended up back in Greece, then Canada prior to successfully entering the U.S. in 1980. Nine years later, Dashjian moved to Burbank, where he has resided ever since. Though his father ran a thriving business in Baghdad, Dashjian says he and his family members chose to relocate to America in search of greater freedom and professional opportunities.
“We used to dream to come to America from our country,” Dashjian said. “We had a beautiful life over there. But again, I say this because we dreamed to come to America — America, it is still the No. 1 country. I love it. Every morning I say, ‘Thank God I’m in this most beautiful country in the world.’ People, they take it for granted. So we just wanted to come to America for a better life.”
After settling in Los Angeles, Dashjian took on various roles such as busboy, jeweler, drummer in a Middle Eastern band, and server. He didn’t speak English during his early days in the U.S., and Dashjian’s jobs in hospitality provided him the opportunity to pick up the language as he communicated with customers. He was employed at French restaurant Robaire’s for a time, and by 1989 he’d been hired as a server at Mistral, a bistro in Sherman Oaks. Many Warner Bros. executives frequented this dining spot, and Dashjian later learned that the film production company was looking to fill a service bartender position in their commissary fine dining room.
Dashjian applied, earned the job and came on board at Warner Bros. in 2000. As of 2023, he has been the manager of the fine dining room for nearly 10 years. Muhammad Ali, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Al Pacino, Jennifer Lopez, Dolly Parton, George Clooney and the stars of hit Warner Bros. shows like “Friends,” “ER” and “Full House” are just some of the famous faces Dashjian has met on the job. As he reflects on his years of celebrity sightings at Warner Bros., Dashjian notes that the most accomplished entertainment industry professionals have consistently shown themselves to be respectful guests at the commissary.
“I’ve seen them all. … Everybody’s been here, and everybody’s so humble,” Dashjian said. “For example, with me and George Clooney, George Clooney comes in — he has to give me a hug. We’re so close like that, the people are so close.”
Other noteworthy public figures such as the past president of France and the president of the Dominican Republic have dined at Warner Bros. Dashjian shares that one of his most interesting encounters was in the early 2000s, when he and his colleagues served a Saudi Arabian prince whom Dashjian spoke with in Arabic.
In the years leading up to Dashjian’s promotion to manager, Julene Rury was his commissary captain. Prior to Rury’s death in 2012, she passed along her work planner to Dashjian, which he used for years and has kept to this day. The planner reveals bits of Warner Bros. history, such as Rury’s hand-written order of the meal Jennifer Aniston ate every day for lunch throughout her years of starring in “Friends”: a chopped salad with no salami, chicken and cucumber added, “lots of garbanzos,” and balsamic vinaigrette and shaved parmesan cheese on the side.
While at work, Dashjian often dons specially made neckties he’s been given by Warner Bros. personnel featuring logos from iconic projects like “Friends” and the “Batman” franchise films. He proudly wears these garments that represent the history of legendary entertainment endeavors at Warner, where Dashjian states he “love[s] the energy” and “there’s always something” going on.
Dashjian continued to perform his duties at Mistral in the evening while taking care of visitors to the Warner Bros. dining room during the day for over two decades. He stepped away from his position at Mistral in recent years and has remained focused on leading his group of staff members at Warner.
In his personal life, Dashjian is a big Manchester United fan and has both played and coached soccer. Similar to his coaching approach, Dashjian utilizes the strengths of his Warner Bros. team and has faith in his workers’ abilities.
“When you’re a coach, you want to know which player plays where,” Dashjian said. “And then of course, you coach it — you cannot just tell them what to do 24/7. You have to go with the flow, then just let it loose.”
He added, “I have a beautiful team. I love my team. I love my guys because without them, I’m no one. That’s how it goes.”
The fine dining room can accommodate around 140 to 150 people, not counting seats in its three private rooms and on the outdoor patio. During busy lunchtime hours, Dashjian guides employees to ensure that each customer has a positive experience at the elegant, yet inviting location. The most cherished moments he has come across in managing this space are ones in which he notices how at ease his customers feel.
“I love the looks on their faces when I can see they’re comfortable,” Dashjian said of fine dining room guests. “Especially when they leave — they give me a hug, they just shake hands, and so you can feel even shaking hands, they’re really genuine. And that makes my day.”
Not only does his friendly demeanor and strong work ethic result in customers being satisfied, but Dashjian constantly finds himself walking away with joy from helping others.
“I love to make [customers] happy. I believe that’s what I do, and it makes me happy too,” Dashjian said.
His efficiency has been recognized several times by Warner Bros. executives, including when a complimentary employee profile on Dashjian was published in a 2007 company newsletter. In addition, former WarnerMedia Chief Executive Officer Jason Kilar applauded Dashjian’s work performance in a series of 2022 social media posts.
“Something I’ve found so consistent in Harry is that it doesn’t matter if you are Jennifer Lopez or someone scrapping on day 1 trying to simply establish a toehold…Harry treats *everyone* like a movie star,” Kilar wrote via Twitter. He then said, “If there is/ever was a mayor of the Warner Bros lot in Burbank, it would be Harry Dashjian. For 20+yrs, Harry is making his positive impact on Hollywood history, though he’s far too humble [to] say such a thing. You won’t find a kinder, more generous person than Harry.”
Previous Warner Bros. Entertainment Executive Director of Food Services & Events Steve Caloca likewise praised Dashjian in an intro paragraph for a past “Employee Spotlight” feature.
“What I love about working with Harry is that I know he’s always looking out for the best interests of his customers,” Caloca said in the write-up. “He practically knows everyone on the lot, and they definitely know him. Sometimes I wonder if it’s possible that anyone on the lot doesn’t know Harry. He’s really that loved and admired!”
This month marked Warner Bros.’ 100th anniversary, and the studio has initiated a campaign, “Celebrating Every Story,” in honor of the commemoration. At a company event highlighting the campaign, a video was played for employees in which Dashjian appeared, as did other associates from Warner, as well as stars like Clooney, Quinta Brunson, Daniel Radcliffe, Clint Eastwood and Oprah Winfrey. When Dashjian emerged in the clip, his onscreen arrival was met with an outpouring of warm cheers from the crowd.
Furthermore, fine dining room patrons have time and again been won over by Dashjian. One regular, for example, sent him a card observing the 2023 new year in which she thanked him for his generosity and affectionately referred to him as “Mayor Harry.”
As he has recently celebrated his 61st birthday, Dashjian says he “feel[s] very fortunate” for his personal and professional journey. Both of his parents have sadly died, but Dashjian takes pride in knowing that, through a great deal of persistence, his family’s sacrifices led to the fulfillment of his ambitions.
“Every morning when I drive here — because [my parents are] right here in the [Forest Lawn] Hollywood Hills — every morning I throw them a kiss. They brought me to the best country in the world,” Dashjian said. “I love my life, I have my beautiful wife and my beautiful daughter, and I have no regrets at all. Beginning was difficult, but again, I was young and just worked and worked, and then, we made it.”
