NBC Nightly News aired a two-minute segment about Route 66 on Tuesday night. If you missed it, you can check it out below, or hit the above link if the embedding doesn't work. It painted a very flattering picture of the old road. The segment by correspondent Harry Smith features a stretch of Route 66 … Continue reading NBC Nightly News airs segment about Route 66
Category: Restaurants
A visit to the Midpoint Cafe
KVII-TV reporter Larry Lemmons, based in Amarillo, traveled west on Route 66 to check out what was happening at the historic Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, Texas. This television segment was more in-depth than I anticipated, and it captures the atmosphere of the restaurant as well as anything. https://youtu.be/IkywbkeqiPo Dennis Purschwitz and his wife Donna bought … Continue reading A visit to the Midpoint Cafe
A history of Bama Pies
If you drive through Route 66 in Tulsa, you'll probably notice a big beige building on the north side of 11th Street with the name Bama Pies. It is part of The Bama Companies. This well-produced video by the company shows how it expanded from its mom-and-pop roots to becoming a multinational corporation. Even if … Continue reading A history of Bama Pies
Springfield tunnel once was part of a brewery
Last week, workers clearing land for the future site of a Route 66-themed park on College Street in Springfield, Missouri, found a series of underground rooms that probably were at least a century old. This week, media outlets -- including the Springfield News-Leader -- found the tunnel once was part of the Springfield Brewing Co. … Continue reading Springfield tunnel once was part of a brewery
Big Texan pays $800,000 settlement for illegally withholding tips
The Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas, paid $800,000 in back pay and damages for what federal authorities called an illegal tips-pooling arrangement, according to the Amarillo Globe-News and other Amarillo media outlets. The restaurant, which started on Route 66 in 1960 in Amarillo before moving to Interstate 40, made the settlement with the U.S. Department … Continue reading Big Texan pays $800,000 settlement for illegally withholding tips
Amarillo bar may set record for most beers on tap
In a large but nondescript-looking building on Route 66 in Amarillo, Texas, is a sports bar that's only a dozen or so brews away from apparently breaking a national record for offering the most draft beers on tap. The I Don't Know Sports Bar and Grill, also known as IDK, is housed in a 1928 … Continue reading Amarillo bar may set record for most beers on tap
Illinois county taking next steps for establishing Route 66 corridor
Will County, Illinois, near Chicago, is about to take the next steps in transforming Illinois Highway 53 into more of an attraction for Route 66 tourists, reported Shaw Media. The 20-mile stretch of Illinois 53 runs from about Interstate 80 in Joliet to Braidwood. Larazza said more than 30 businesses and other stakeholders involved in … Continue reading Illinois county taking next steps for establishing Route 66 corridor
Route 66 theme sparks increase in customers at restaurant
File this away under Mr. Obvious. But it's good to see what a Route 66 theme can do for a business, all other things being equal. A longtime restaurant in downtown Joliet, Illinois, has seen a sizable increase in the number of customers since changing to changing its name from the Joliet Restaurant to Joliet Route 66 Diner two … Continue reading Route 66 theme sparks increase in customers at restaurant
Remnants of Club Cafe soon will disappear
The neon signs and building of the long-closed Club Cafe restaurant in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, likely will vanish by summer's end unless an unlikely savior is found, according to today's print edition of the Guadalupe County Communicator, based in Santa Rosa. Known since 1935 for its sourdough biscuits, New Mexican cuisine and its trademark … Continue reading Remnants of Club Cafe soon will disappear
Hi-Way Tavern being revived at old Edwardsville location
The Hi-Way Tavern and Cafe, which began on Route 66 in Edwardsville, Ill., in 1934, will be revived at its old site in a tavern and eventually will serve food again, reported the Edwardsville Intelligencer. The building at 463 E. Vandalia was occupied by Neumann's Bar and Restaurant for 25 years. However, the newly reverted … Continue reading Hi-Way Tavern being revived at old Edwardsville location