After nearly 70 years of selling hearty dishes along Route 66 in Arcadia, classic American diner Rod’s Grill announced in a Facebook post this week that it would be closing its doors.
“Today, on behalf of the Romero Family and with a heavy heart, we would like to announce that Rod’s Grill will be closing on Sunday, February 12th,” read the Feb. 8 post.
“Rod’s Grill will be going under new ownership and we wish them the best on this new journey!” the post continued.
According to longtime waitress Wendy Monroy, who said she has been working at the restaurant for 18 years, employees were told that it was closing a few days ago, but weren’t given much more information on the reason it’s closing or if it would be reopening under new ownership or a new name.
“We have no details about that,” she said during a phone call to the restaurant.
“It’s upsetting, it’s sad. It’s like a shock, we don’t know what we’re going to do,” Monroy added.
Located at 41 W. Huntington Drive the diner began as a small chain of restaurants in 1946 with the Arcadia location opening in 1957. It is now the last remaining Rod’s Grill, Monroy said.
The popular eatery is a step back in time thanks to its classic diner design with turquoise booths and bar chairs, dark wood bar top and tables and a Googie architecture style. The exterior sports a triangular roof with a red and green vintage sign with the restaurant’s name written in cursive next to an image of a heavy set chef.
The restaurant also made an appearance on a 2012 episode of the retro show “Mad Men” as the interior of a Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge restaurant, according to IMDb.
Some of the house specialties include things like a waffle breakfast, fried chicken and mashed potatoes, sloppy Joe’s and Manny’s Burger, named after the late owner Manny Romero, whose family bought the restaurant about 25 years ago.
According to a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page from 2021, Romero died…
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