Route 66 Centennial spurs tourism in historic small towns
On the historic stretch of U.S. Route 66 through Amarillo, travelers are searching for classic diners, neon signs, and eclectic hotels. Some businesses have come and gone as fast as I-40 was first built. Others are holding on as best they can.
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One of Route 66’s best-known California landmarks is fighting to keep its doors open as America’s “Mother Road” celebrates its 100th anniversary.
The Bagdad Cafe in Newberry Springs has welcomed travelers from around the world for decades, but its future remains uncertain following the death of longtime owner Andrea Pruett in January and years of financial struggles that forced the closure of its kitchen.
The quirky Mojave Desert spot, which is covered with dollar bills, flags, license plates and jerseys from around the world, became internationally famous after inspiring the 1987 German film “Bagdad Cafe.”
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Visitors can visit the cafe for photos and souvenirs, like T-shirts — which have become one of the its main sources of income — but it no longer serves food as the owners work to raise money and restore the kitchen and septic system.
The Bagdad Cafe in Newberry Springs, California, has drawn Route 66 travelers from around the world for decades. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
It also sells replica boomerangs designed by Alan Scott Craig, who appeared in the film, according to the cafe’s website.
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Many American visitors stop because of the highway’s history, while European tourists, particularly from France, often make the trip because of the 1987 film, a worker told Fox News Digital. The cafe has accumulated about 40 guest books filled with messages from visitors over the decades, he said.
Pruett owned the cafe for more than 30 years and became known for greeting travelers from around the globe. Those who worked alongside her welcoming visitors with a smile and sometimes climbing onto the counter to sing with French tourists visiting the cafe.
Longtime Bagdad Cafe owner Andrea Pruett serves milkshakes at the Route 66 landmark in 2006. (GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)
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Before her death at age 85, she wrote in a GoFundMe post that international tourists and tour buses once accounted for roughly 80% of the business before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cafe to shut its doors temporarily. When it reopened, it could only offer cold drinks instead of meals.
But the pandemic hasn’t been the cafe’s only struggle.
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Years of roof leaks left rainwater pouring into the 1950s-era building, threatening the memorabilia left behind by visitors over the decades, KTLA reported. In 2024, supporters raised enough money through a GoFundMe fundraiser to replace the roof and interior ceiling.
A separate GoFundMe is now seeking donations to reopen the cafe’s kitchen and upgrade its septic system.
The Bagdad Cafe became internationally known after inspiring the 1987 German film “Bagdad Cafe.” (Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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The next goal is reopening the kitchen before preserving the historic stop for future travelers, according to the cafe’s website.
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The Pruett family has said it is still determining the landmark’s long-term future, the Los Angeles Times reported, but the cafe remains open daily for visitors looking to experience the iconic stop along historic Route 66 upon its centennial year.