Cholla Restaurant (Closed)
Holbrook, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Here’s the colorful roadside sign outside the Cholla Restaurant along Route 66 in Holbrook. With its stacked panels, bright colors, and big arrow lined with bulbs, the sign fit right in with the collection of tall marquees scattered along this stretch of Hopi Drive. Just follow the arrow to the front door.

The restaurant shared its name with both the desert cholla cactus and the nearby Cholla Power Plant east of town. It operated as one of the first familiar sights greeting westbound Route 66 travelers entering Holbrook, back when signs with neon, chasing bulbs, and oversized arrows competed for attention along the highway.

Restaurants with signage like this were quite common in Arizona in the 1960s and 70s.

The Cholla appears to have closed around the end of the 1990s. The property, restaurant equipment, and liquor license were offered for sale in 1999.

Cholla Restaurant (Closed)
Holbrook, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

UPDATE: The Cholla Restaurant is now gone, replaced with a Calvary Chapel. The old sign frame is still there, although the yellow arrow and bulbs on top of the sign have been removed. 01-09

UPDATE: The former restaurant was converted into Calvary Chapel Holbrook. The tall sign frame survives in front of the building, but the multicolored panels, neon, and bulb-lined arrow were removed. The old roadside frame now carries the church sign. 08-26

Rod's Steak House|
Williams, AZ
Photo courtesy Allen Sandquist

Pulling into Williams along old Route 66, it is hard to miss the glowing steer above Rod's Steak House. His name is Domino, and he has been welcoming hungry highway travelers for generations. With that familiar neon animal standing over the entrance, there is not much mystery about what is being served inside.

Rodney “Rod” Graves and his wife Helen opened the steakhouse on August 23, 1946. Postwar traffic was beginning to pour onto Route 66, and Rod figured all those motorists could use a good steak after a long day on the road. The restaurant quickly became one of the familiar stops along the highway through Williams.

This little cow sits outside of Rod's. This establishment has been in business since 1946.

Rod's Cow
Williams, AZ
Photo courtesy Allen Sandquist

Rod took the beef business seriously. He owned a nearby ranch and used his “MJ” cattle brand throughout the restaurant. The mark appeared on the building, menus, dishes, and Western decorations. Some of the old menus were even cut into the shape of a cow. It may not have made ordering any easier, but it certainly made the menu hard to forget.

A close-up of the Rod's Steak House sign
Williams, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The kitchen’s original flame grill has been cooking steaks since the restaurant opened in 1946. Porterhouse, ribeye, prime rib, and other hearty cuts came off that grill while travelers settled into the comfortable Western dining room. Homemade rolls and desserts helped finish the job for anyone who still had room.

Domino became just as well known as the steaks. The neon steer was built into the low awning above the entrance rather than placed on a tall pole. That brought the glowing mascot down close to the restaurant, almost as if he were standing guard over the front door. Plenty of Route 66 travelers stopped for a photograph even when they were not ready for dinner.

A close-up of the cow
Williams, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Rod’s changed hands only a few times during its long history. One of its most interesting owners was Lawrence Sanchez, who began working at the restaurant as a teenage dishwasher. He stayed, learned the business, moved up through the ranks, and eventually purchased the entire steakhouse. That is quite a promotion.

The restaurant also survived one of the biggest changes to come through Williams. Interstate 40 bypassed the town in 1984, making Williams the final Route 66 community to be bypassed. Many highway businesses struggled after the traffic moved away, but Rod’s remained a familiar destination. The steaks, Western atmosphere, and Domino’s neon glow continued bringing people through the door.

The sign advertises the nearby steakhouse
Williams, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Rod’s finally went dark during the pandemic era. The restaurant closed in 2021 and sat empty for several years, leaving Domino above a silent dining room. With so many old Route 66 businesses disappearing, it looked like this steakhouse might be joining the list.

Fortunately, Kennelly Concepts purchased the property and began bringing it back. The building received new plumbing, kitchen improvements, seating, and a general cleanup, but the owners kept the details that made Rod’s feel like Rod’s. The old grill stayed, the Western character remained, and Domino was restored rather than replaced with some plastic corporate sign.

A shot from the street
Williams, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

UPDATE: Here are more photos of Rod's Steakhouse, a landmark in Williams. 09-21

UPDATE: Rod’s Steak House reopened on August 23, 2025, exactly 79 years after Rod and Helen Graves first opened the doors. Domino’s neon shines above the entrance once again, the original 1946 grill is still cooking steaks, and the restaurant now serves Arizona beef from K4 Ranches near Prescott. After several dark years, this Route 66 landmark is back in business. 08-26