Wheel Inn Restaurant (Closed)
Cabazon, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
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. Opened in 1958 by Claude Bell, the Wheel Inn combined a desert highway meal stop with an Old West atmosphere. Bell built the neighboring dinosaurs to attract customers, creating a roadside pairing that became a destination in its own right.
Unfortunately, The Wheel Inn closed down for good on September 23, 2013.
Cadillac Jack's
Sun Valley, CA Photos courtesy Adriene Biondo
Here's an old drive-in/diner off San Fernando Road called Cadillac Jack's. In the photo on the
left, you can see the Pink
Motel in the background. The shot on the right displays the vintage 50's era interior. Back when the adjoining cafe was still operating, this location, including
the adjacent Pink
Motel, had everything... gigantic swimming pool, classic diner with
old jukebox, candy machine, even a drive-in 'round back (see photo on
left). Now it's perfectly frozen in time, primarily used as a film location. Many thanks to Adriene Biondo for info.
Check out the pastel colors and roadside character at Cadillac Jack’s in Sun Valley. Along San Fernando Road, a stretch of old Highway 99, the diner and neighboring Pink Motel offer quite a look at the days of neon signs and automobile travel. With vintage cars outside and that familiar diner appearance, the place looks ready for a burger stop somewhere around 1955.
Cadillac Jack's
Sun Valley, CA Photos courtesy Adriene Biondo
The Pink Motel opened in 1947, followed by the Pink Cafe in 1949. Together, they offered travelers somewhere to spend the night and grab a meal before heading back out on the highway. The cafe later became Cadillac Jack’s, keeping the roadside setting while finding a different way to stay busy.
These days, the customers are more likely to arrive with cameras and production equipment. The diner has become a familiar backdrop for movies, television shows, and music videos, with its counter, booths, and exterior giving filmmakers plenty to work with. Its appearances include the 2008 comedy The House Bunny. Apparently this coffee shop has been getting more screen time than some actors.
Cadillac Jack's
Sun Valley, CA Photos courtesy Adriene Biondo
The adjoining motel adds another piece to the setting, making this little collection of buildings especially handy when a production needs an earlier version of Southern California.
UPDATE: The
pictures of "Cadillac Jacks" was not formerly Buddy's Diner it was the "Pink Cafe" same name as the "Pink Motel"
next door. They were both built in the late 40's by Joe Thomulka, who's
son Monty still owns and operates (the motel) today. Many
thanks to Tim Shpall for update. 07-05
Author's Note: The Pink Cafe was turned into Cadillac Jacks by Tim
Shpall along with Monty's help in 1990. 07-05
UPDATE: Cadillac Jack’s is maintained as a private filming and production location rather than a public restaurant. The diner and Pink Motel continue their second careers in front of the cameras, preserving a recognizable piece of the old highway landscape. 10-26
George's 50's Diner
Long Beach, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Here’s a coffee shop that fits right in with a parking lot full of classic cars. George’s 50’s Diner originally opened as Grisinger’s Drive-in around 1950, bringing a little drive-in character to Atlantic Avenue. Architect Wayne McAllister supplied the distinctive design, back when the building itself was part of the invitation to stop for something to eat.
UPDATE: George’s remains a working neighborhood diner. Designated a Long Beach Historic Landmark in 2004, the building continues to offer a familiar piece of the city’s roadside past. 10-26
Phil's Diner (Moved and Closed)
Los Angeles, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Take a look at this little dining car and its familiar Phil’s Diner sign. Dating to the 1920s, Phil’s offered a different sort of coffee shop architecture from the sprawling Googie restaurants that followed. Sometimes a barrel roof and a compact counter were all the roadside invitation anyone needed.
The sign advertised the diner’s use in movies and photo shoots, and its screen appearances included The X-Files. A setting with this much character hardly needed much dressing up for the cameras.
After years of preservation efforts, the historic diner moved from Chandler Boulevard to nearby Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood. It reopened on April 20, 2011, giving this old survivor another chance to serve customers.
UPDATE: Phil's Diner moved to North Hollywood and opened at its new location in April 2011. Unfortunately, the new owners couldn't make it a go and the diner closed by the end of 2011. 05-13
UPDATE: The revived Phil’s closed by December 2011, only eight months after reopening. The move saved the dining car, but keeping the restaurant going proved to be another story. 10-26
Ed Debevic's (Gone)
Los Angeles, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Here’s a stainless steel throwback that brought a little diner nostalgia to La Cienega Boulevard. Ed Debevic’s arrived in the mid-1980s, but its retro appearance looked ready for an earlier generation of hungry motorists. Not every roadside diner was an original mid-century survivor. This one made looking back part of the attraction.
For years, the restaurant supplied a lively stop near the Beverly Center, adding its own personality to the boulevard’s restaurant scene. The shiny diner look certainly stood apart from the neighboring dining establishments.
UPDATE: Ed Debevic's is long gone. The Konpatchi restaurant is housed in a new building. This area of La Cienega just south of the Beverly Center is a far cry from what it looked like a dozen years ago. 05-13
UPDATE: Ed Debevic’s closed in 2003, and its building was demolished. Japanese restaurant Gonpachi opened on the site in 2007 in a new building. The replacement brought a very different look to this stretch of La Cienega, leaving the old diner to the photographs. 10-26
Cadillac Jack's
Cadillac Jack's
Phil's Diner (Moved and Closed)
Ed Debevic's (Gone)
