Cabazon, CA - Travelers speeding near Palm Springs can't miss the "EAT" sign at the well known landmark The Wheel Inn Restaurant in Cabazon. Located next to the Cabazon Dinosaurs, The Wheel Inn has been a roadside establishment and diner like eatery with an Old West type of theme for more than 50 years. Movies have been filmed at this location, including a scene from Pee Wee's Big Adventure.

Wheel Inn Restaurant
Cabazon, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Heading through the San Gorgonio Pass toward Palm Springs, motorists had a pretty clear invitation to stop at The Wheel Inn Restaurant in Cabazon. The big “EAT” sign didn’t spend much time explaining the menu. With two enormous dinosaurs nearby, finding the place wasn’t much of a challenge either.

Opened in 1958 by Claude Bell, the Wheel Inn became a familiar meal stop for truck drivers, vacationing families, and travelers crossing the desert. Its Old West atmosphere gave customers something different from the usual highway restaurant, along with a chance to get out of the car before tackling another stretch of pavement.

Familiar statue in front
Cabazon, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

For more than half a century, the diner was part of the trip. Whether Cabazon was the destination or just somewhere along the way, the restaurant offered a reason to pull off the highway. The sign handled the invitation, and the kitchen took care of the rest.

Bell gave the business some rather unusual roadside help when he began building the neighboring dinosaurs. Dinny, the giant Apatosaurus, and Mr. Rex became landmarks that could catch the attention of motorists who weren’t even thinking about lunch. A stop for a meal could turn into a visit with creatures considerably larger than anything on the menu

Not much changed on the giant "EAT" marquee over the past decade as can bee seen in the photos below.

Wheel Inn Restaurant - 2000
Cabazon, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The restaurant and dinosaurs also earned a place in movie history through Tim Burton’s 1985 film Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. After his memorable ride with Large Marge, Pee-wee arrives at the Wheel Inn and discovers that his truck-driving companion had quite a story. His visit with Simone and the nearby dinosaurs helped introduce this desert stop to an audience far beyond the passing freeway traffic.

Large Marge supplied the movie’s ghost story, giving the real diner an especially memorable screen connection. For film fans, stopping here meant visiting part of Pee-wee’s journey, with no haunted truck ride required.

Unfortunately, another well known nostalgic landmark has shut its doors. On September 23, 2013, The Wheel Inn closed down for good.

Wheel Inn Restaurant - 2001
Cabazon, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Unfortunately, even a famous movie appearance and prehistoric neighbors couldn’t keep the restaurant going forever. The Wheel Inn closed on September 23, 2013, ending more than fifty years of feeding travelers. The building remained for a time, but the familiar stop eventually met the bulldozer.

UPDATE: According to the current restaurant operator, the building needed expensive improvements such as plumbing, roof, and restaurant equipment. Unfortunately, business was not enough to keep the Wheel Inn profitable. For more information, see the Press Enterprise article. 10-13

UPDATE: The Wheel Inn Restaurant was demolished in late 2016. The neighboring Cabazon Dinosaurs survived, outlasting the restaurant they were built to advertise. The giants still mark the roadside, but the old diner has served its last dish. 10-26

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