Chopstick Cafe (Closed)
Pocatello, ID Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
The Chopstick Cafe sign looked freshly painted when this photo was taken. Its colorful panels and distinctive lettering gave downtown Pocatello another reason to keep looking up, even before the neon came on. 09-06
The Hom family established the restaurant and installed the sign during the 1950s. The cafe served generations of diners before closing in 2018, but its roadside identity survived. Relight the Night volunteers secured and restored the marquee, saving it from disappearing with the business.
UPDATE: The restored sign now shines from the North Building in the 100 block of South Arthur Avenue. The restaurant is gone, but its familiar lettering has a permanent home downtown. That’s a much better retirement than the scrap pile. 11-26
Stoney's Desert Inn Cafe (Gone)
Mountain Home, ID Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
The promise of service around the clock made Stoney’s Desert Inn Cafe a welcome sight in Mountain Home. Early breakfast or late supper, the sign offered travelers a hot meal and another cup of coffee before getting back on the road. 09-06
Known locally as the DI, the cafe was operated by Earle and Mary Stone for more than 48 years. Children and grandchildren worked alongside them, making it a family business through several generations. A fire destroyed the original restaurant in December 2016, but the family wasn’t finished serving Mountain Home.
UPDATE: The Stones’ daughter Tracey and grandson Keith carried the tradition into Stoney’s Restaurant at 220 North Main Street. Favorite recipes and the family name found another home, keeping a little of the old DI on the menu. 07-26
Koffee Kup Cafe (Closed)
Hammett, ID Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Not sure if this place was really named the "Coffee Cafe," but anyplace with a neon cup is a welcome stop.
As it turns out, the business was called the Koffee Kup Cafe. Located in the small town of Hammett, it was one of the many roadside cafes that served travelers back when much of the traffic between Boise and Twin Falls passed through town on the old highway. The neon coffee cup out front made it hard to miss. 09-06
UPDATE: The Koffee Kup Cafe has been closed for many years. While the restaurant is gone, the iconic sign remains standing and has become a favorite subject for roadside photographers and fans of vintage Americana. The old neon coffee cup continues to watch over Hammett as a reminder of an earlier era of highway travel. 07-26
Snappy Service Cafe (Gone)
Salt Lake City, UT Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Here are a couple of shots of the world-famous Snappy Service Cafe located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Well, not sure if this place was indeed "world famous," but the cafe was certainly worth a stop. Tucked into a small downtown storefront, Snappy Service was the kind of old-school lunch counter that seemed to belong to another era.
The business traced its roots all the way back to 1902, making it one of Salt Lake City's longest-running eateries. Over the decades, generations of locals stopped in for a quick meal at the counter, helping turn the little diner into a downtown institution. 09-06
Snappy Service Cafe (Gone)
Salt Lake City, UT Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
UPDATE: The original Snappy Service Cafe closed its historic State Street location in 2001 after the property was sold and later demolished. Fortunately, the story didn't end there. Longtime customer and Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller helped relocate the business to his new Jordan Commons development, allowing Snappy Service to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2002. While the original building is gone, the Snappy Service name lived on long enough to reach a milestone few roadside cafes ever achieve. I suppose it really was "world famous" after all. 07-26
Savoy Cafe
Trinidad, CO Photo courtesy Larry Glass
Check out this sign for the Savoy Cafe in Trinidad, Colorado. When this photo was taken, the cafe was still operating, though I wasn't sure whether the hotel above it was as well. The building itself dates back to 1893, making it one of the older commercial structures in downtown Trinidad.
For decades, the Savoy Cafe was a familiar part of the local streetscape, serving customers beneath the shadow of the historic hotel. The combination of the vintage sign, old brick building, and long history gave the corner plenty of character and made it feel like a holdover from an earlier era. 11-07
UPDATE: The Savoy Cafe has since closed its doors, but the historic building remains. The old restaurant space is vacant today, while the upper floors continue to operate as the Savoy Hotel. More than 130 years after the building was constructed, the landmark still stands as part of downtown Trinidad's historic commercial district. 07-26
Sullivan's Cafe (Gone)
Cedar City, UT Photo courtesy Matthias Tippner
The Sullivan’s Cafe sign was the sort of roadside welcome that made you start thinking about lunch. Standing in Cedar City, it advertised homemade food with lettering that looked right at home above a longtime neighborhood restaurant. Sometimes that’s all the encouragement a hungry traveler needs. 01-09
Sullivan’s began serving customers in 1946 and remained in the Sullivan family for three generations. In 2007, the restaurant passed to its longtime general manager, keeping a familiar face connected to the business even after the family ownership ended. By then, the cafe had been feeding Cedar City for more than sixty years.
Sullivan's Cafe and Sulli's Steakhouse sign
Cedar City, UT Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The sign was what caught my attention, though. Its promise of homemade food recalled the days when independent cafes could draw customers with a straightforward message and a memorable marquee. You could almost picture pulling in after a long drive, ready to trade the highway for a booth and a hot meal.
UPDATE: Sullivan's Cafe is now closed for business. Following the retirement of the owners, the restaurant shut its doors and the original Sullivan's lettering was removed from the sign. 08-15
UPDATE: Sullivan’s closed following the owners’ retirement, and its original lettering had been removed by 2015. On a later visit, the replacement “Arcade” lettering was fading, with no cafe apparently operating at the site. The sign had outlasted the restaurant, but the familiar Sullivan’s welcome was gone. 07-26
Chopstick Cafe (Closed)
Stoney's Desert Inn Cafe (Gone)
Koffee Kup Cafe (Closed)
Snappy Service Cafe (Gone)
Savoy Cafe
Sullivan's Cafe (Gone)
