Mr. D's in Kingman, AZ

Diner Stop in Arizona

In the summer of 2023, we had a festive stop at Mr. D'z, while traveling Route 66.

Don and I were traveling from Oregon to Texas, with our daughter, son-in-law and 2 year-old granddaughter. This looked like a perfect lunch stop to please all of us.

Kingman

There are at least a dozen major cities on historic Route 66. I have absolutely no clue how many towns are along the complicated route.

Kingman is certainly not the most well known, so I had to Google it. I learned only 1 noteworthy fact. Clark Gable and Carole Lombard were married in Kingman, during a break in Clark's filming of Gone With the Wind. Now that's a fun tidbit!

Route 66 Shield

We arrived around 1 pm and parked in a large lot. A big Route 66 shield, with "Mr. D'z" at the top, greeted us on the pavement.

These shield signs have been marking the highway since the 1920s. But only in recent years have they become selfie photo ops, for Rt 66 travelers. I totally missed that opportunity. I could have posed for an extra special photo, since I was 66 years old, traveling Route 66! 

Lots to Lure Us!

​The bright colors were enough to make me pull in for a burger! The image of Marilyn Monroe on a motorcycle, might have encouraged a few bikers.

Besides the yummy sign, (with burger, fries and root beer) there was a 1950s police car to excite me.  

And an old blue Chevy truck. I love colorful vintage vehicles!

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​Mr. Don's Photo Op

I didn't get myself in a photo, but insisted Don pose.  We could pretend the diner was named for him. 

But the words over Don's right shoulder told us the D was for Dunton.  Who was Mr. Dunton?

Established 1992

Turns out the Mr. D's Route 66 Diner wasn't all that old. Brothers Roy and Scott Dunton, bought property in 1991. I guess there were originally 2 misters. 

The brothers gutted the old 1930s gas station & cafe and opened a '50s style diner in 1992. Roy passed away some time ago, but evidently Scott died just a couple months before our 2023 visit.

Today

Today the pumps are gone and bright pink and teal paint covers the white.  

Picnic tables sit under the roof, where cars once pulled up. I can imagine the "ding" sound, followed by the voice of the driver announcing, "Fill 'er up!"

​Crowded at 1

We stepped inside and found a hopping diner.

We were offered a small table, but said we were in no hurry. Which wasn't exactly true. We were starved.

There was an energetic, positive vibe to the place. The staff (all in pink shirts) moved about efficiently, taking and delivering orders. Lots of cheerful banter.

Stools and Gas Pumps
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If we'd been a smaller group, eating at the counter would have been fun. I could have swirled around on my stool and purchased some gum-balls from the gas pump machines.

The diners seemed as upbeat as the staff. We've met a lot of Route 66 travelers over the years and most seem enthused. Many Rt 66 fans come from other countries and we heard a couple different languages nearby. Was that German we heard from a crowded booth? The family was squeezed happily around the table, playing cards as they waited for food.

Booth Time

We didn't have to wait long for our booth. Once we got our legs situated under the table, we took in the show.

Our table opened towards a bustle of activity that was quite entertaining. 

Elvis and Marilyn

We were amused by the giant celebs, smiling across from us... near the entrance to the restrooms.

When did these 2 become symbols, for all the cafes and shops that decorate with a retro '50s theme? 

Did they ever meet?

Marilyn was 9 years older and the 2 supposedly met briefly only once, in 1960. They were in a hall at Paramount.

Of course there's another rumor, that Elvis denied. Who knows?
Anyway, it's funny how their 2 images have been combined over time. I think today if you asked "young folks" to name an iconic Hollywood couple, many would name Elvis & Marilyn.

Record-shaped Menu

Our server Destiny was chatty and welcoming when she brought our album-shaped menus. There were a dozen burger choices. 

One that was 4 pounds! Another was named for Andy Devine, Kingman's most famous resident. (Had to look him up) A character actor, who worked with John Wayne and Roy Rogers.

Creamy Caramel Root beer

Homemade root beer is one of the things that Mr. D'z is known for. We made sure to get some!

Charlie toasted with her water. At age 2, she didn't yet know what she was missing!

Order Up!

​I kept my eye on the little warming window. Good smells were coming from the kitchen.

I'm not sure which dishes used old family recipes. Supposedly the menu includes some recipes that came from Roy and Scott's mom.

Dinner Salad at the Diner

Salad isn't exactly a diner food. But my retro plate, with greens, veggies and  good old 1,000 island dressing, was pretty tasty. Something healthy to go along with root beer, burger & fries.

Elvis kept an eye on Don and little Charlie kept an eye on the big knife, when Don's food was served.

Don's bacon cheeseburger wasn't served on retro china. Instead a guitar-shaped basket held his burger and fries.  

Pretty yummy actually. I kind of liked the space age designs on the table, too!

Hit the Road Time

No complaints about food or service. Destiny and all the servers seemed well trained in dealing with crowds of tourists.

It was a fun stop for lunch, on the old Mother Road. It was nice to take a break in an upbeat atmosphere. Decent restrooms as well!

Charlie's good behavior was rewarded with a little outside time, before she crawled back into her carseat. 

Too bad we couldn't have given her a quick ride in the odd pink car. I wonder what the story is with that?

Elvis Again

Charlie had a fun time crawling over a few picnic tables, near the entrance to Mr. D'z Pizza. The little pizza parlor section of the diner, is where garage door once opened to the service station.

Luckily Charlie was a little too young to care about Elvis and his middle finger gesture... beneath "2020 Lockdown".  I'm sure the diner suffered during the pandemic, but I wasn't sure I wanted to think too much about this message.

Biker Shop

It was an odd ending to our fun little dining adventure, when I spotted the yellow building near the parking lot.

The bright place seemed eager to attract bikers traveling 66. A yellow sign on the yellow building told us, "No Mask, No Vax, No Problem. You're welcome. Come on in."
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Oh my. We didn't.
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