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The King Chef's Diner was built in 1955. This Valentine Little Chef was ordered with the turrets and other castle-like details. It is believed to the only custom design produced by Valentine. The style was modeled after the Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty's Castle. In 1960, the diner was moved across the street to where it stands today. The interior has the thirteen stools at the counter. The exterior was originally pink. In 1976, it was painted red, white, and blue. The purple paint scheme was adopted in 1996. For more, see this website. [map]
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Chuck's Stop Diner [gone]
Colorado Springs, CO
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Mr. B's Famous BBQ & Soul Food
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Chuck's Stop Diner, a Valentine Little Chef (#654), opened in 1954. It was brought from the Kansas manufacturer on a flatbed truck. It was originally known as Richards Grill. From 1976-1981, it was known as the Lunch Box. It operated as Chuck's Stop Cafe from 1982-1992 when it was painted yellow and green. In 2004, when the photos in the top row were taken, the diner was known as "Jo's Diner". In 2005, it was known as Mister Big's Diner. [photo thanks Mark Comstock] That same year, the name changed again to "Darlene's Chucks Stop Diner". In 2006, it was repainted and changed owners again. By 2008, it was known as Mr. B's Famous BBQ & Soul Food. In 2008, a minivan crashed into the diner and it remained closed until around 2011 when it reopened as Vernacchio's Diner. By 2012, the diner had been restored and repainted. When this photo was taken, a sign said it was about to reopen as Smitty Dawgz Soul Food. However, in 2019, the diner was still vacant. In 2020, the diner was gone. Does anyone know if it was destroyed or moved? For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.
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Nana's Kitchen
Lake City, CO |
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The Valentine diner inside Nana's Kitchen is now used as a kitchen. It was probably built in the 1940s. It was originally located in Albuquerque, NM where it was known as the Tic Toc Diner. The diner was moved here in 2000. I think Nana's is closed now. For more, see this website.
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Davies' Chuck Wagon Diner
Lakewood, CO |
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Davies' Chuck Wagon Diner is a 1957 Mountain View (#516) diner. The diner was installed here in 1957 and the sign was installed then. The sign is about 36 feet tall. Although it is not known what sign company built the sign, it seems highly likely that the cowboy was modeled after the Vegas Vic sign which was built in 1951. Photographs from the 1960s show the Davies' cowboy with a green neckerchief and a red plaid shirt. He was apparently never outlined with neon. The bulbs around the "Diner" panel never chased or flashed. The neon text at the bottom of the brown panel originally read "Open 24 Hours." These days, Davies' is open from 5am to 3pm and the sign is only lit in the morning. The fiberglass horse was installed in 1962. The diner is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2018, the sign was restored. These photos are from 2023. [map]
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White Way Grill
Lakewood, CO |
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The White Way Grill, a Valentine diner, was built in 1948. It was originally located in Aurora, CO where it was last known as the China Palace. The diner closed in 2002. It was then moved to the Lakewood Heritage Center. The building has been restored and is on display there. For more, see this website.
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Chong's Cafe is another Valentine diner. The diner's interior was gutted and converted into a kitchen. The addition functions as the dining room. The diner was painted bright blue around 2020. [map]
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| RoadsideArchitecture.com |
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Tips & Updates. If you have suggestions about places that I haven't covered, historical info, or updates about places/things that have been remodeled or removed, I'd love to hear from you: roadarch@outlook.com.
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