The Barstool Fund - Route 66 Classic Grill
Up next: Route 66 Classic Grill (Santa Clarita, CA)
Route 66 Classic Grill specializes in a unique but memorable dining experience. They are proud to be family owned and operated so they can focus in-depth on each menu item. One of their specialty items is the Santa Maria Tri-Tip.
Reader Email
Hi Dave, I’m George Thomas owner of Route 66 Classic Grill in Santa Clarita, CA. I opened Route 66 over 21 years ago, after retiring from the Los Angeles Police Department. When choosing a name for our family owned restaurant, I thought of Will Rodgers, who often referred to Route 66 as a road of “new beginnings” for many American families moving west. Considering this would be a new adventure in our family’s lives, we choose the name Route 66 Classic Grill.
We are 50’s themed restaurant, full of vintage neon signs, memorabilia, gas pumps, and a 1955 Ford T-Bird convertible. Outside, above our front door we have a 1956 Corvette proudly sitting below our Route 66 sign. We have a full bar and play 50’s music from our jukebox. Our motto is “Burgers, Shakes & Rock in Roll.”
We wanted to create a place for our community, not only for great food and drinks, but also for Live Entertainment. Prior to the Covid -19 pandemic, and shutdown, we hosted monthly “Classic Car Shows” and weekly “Bike Nights.” Our “Car Shows” and Bike Nights” have become the longest running in the history of Southern California. We also host 9/11 Tributes, and an annual “Memorial Ride” for the “Los Angeles County Firefighters Widows and Orphans Fund.” Because of our experience in hosting large outdoor events, we are often approached to do more of them.
A few years ago we were approached by the founders of the “Boot Campaign” based out of Tyler Texas, to host the “Boot Ride,” which raised money for the children of our Fallen Troops. The cast of the popular TV shows “Sons of Anarchy” and “The Deadliest Catch” were our guest.
We have also hosted a variety of local “Election Night Parties,” including several for our City Council, and one for our current Congressman, Mike Garcia.
We were doing well, until the County of Los Angeles shut us down for inside dining on March 15, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. At that point we focused on patio dining until May 28th, the day before we were set to re-open for inside dining. Unfortunately we suffered a major loss, as the result of a high pressure water line bursting inside the restaurant. We didn’t get the opportunity to re-open for inside dining, due to the water damage inside.
On July 1st, Los Angeles County again shut restaurants down for indoor dining, but during the month of June, when other restaurants were allowed to be open for inside dining, we had been sidelined due to the water damage. On November 27th, Los Angeles County again shut us down for patio dining, allowing us only to be open for To Go orders. We again pivoted, and focused on our Car Hop and To Go Service, as we had done during the earlier shut down. Unfortunately this time we found due to colder weather, wind and the sun setting at 5- 5:30, our Car Hop Service hasn’t been as successful.
We are fortunate that after 21 years, we have established ourselves as a comfortable place to be for our community. As the result of Church’s being shut down for inside services, we had a local pastor ask if he could hold his church services in our parking lot on Sunday mornings, which they did for months. Days prior to Christmas, we hosted a “Drive In Movie” with the church, playing children’s Christmas movies, on a giant screen in our parking lot.
Many families and friends, who don’t feel safe getting together inside their homes, “Tail Gate” in our parking lot, bringing their own tables and chairs, ordering To Go, or from our Car Hop Service. Unfortunately, our sales have dropped significantly, to the point that we don’t know if we can survive another 2-3 months, without your help.
Being a retired Policeman, and my sons both being Firefighters, we have a long history of serving our community. We would be devastated if we were forced to permanently shut our doors to our community, as the result of this pandemic.
Dave, I have watched you on the Tucker Carlson Show, as well as on other shows on numerous occasions, and hope and pray that you can help us keep our doors open, until the Covid shutdown is lifted. I appreciate the work that you have done for many businesses, and hope you can help us as well.
Thank you for your time and interest in our story.
