Last week, San Gabriel Valley denizens were shaken by the news that local landmark Rod’s Grill was shuttering after nearly 70 years in business. Loyal patrons promptly flocked to the historic and oft-filmed eatery, lining the sidewalk out front waiting to grab one final meal within the spectacularly retro confines and bid adieu to its many longtime employees. After serving up its last Manny’s Snack Burger and Nutty Nutty Turkey Salad Sandwich just four days later, the beloved café closed its doors for good, thereby marking the end of an era. Sold to new owners, the future of Rod’s Grill is currently up in the air.
Situated just east of Pasadena on a busy corner at 41 W. Huntington Dr. in Arcadia, the Googie-style diner called out to passersby with its sloping roofline, river rock walls and vintage signage depicting a robust chef ever since initially opening on the premises in 1957. The outpost was the fourth in local restaurateurs Glenn Blize and Rod Wellman’s small chain of eponymous eateries, which they originally founded in nearby Alhambra in 1946. The only Rod’s Grill to remain standing today, the Arcadia locale was the duo’s largest expenditure and their first to feature a dining room – the three predecessors were equipped solely with counter seating.
Erected by Steed Bros. Construction Co., the interior was fashioned with exposed brick walls, delicious seafoam green channel-back booths and a long curving wood counter. Offering hamburgers, shrimp, steaks and shakes, early visitors could feast upon a ¼ pound freshly ground burger served with Thousand Island dressing, dill pickles and lettuce on a toasted bun for only $0.55, while the homemade chicken pot pie, featuring shoestring potatoes and Rod’s sour cream dressing, rang up at a paltry $0.95.
Outside of the prices, little of the place has changed in the ensuing seven decades.
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Image Credit: Lindsay Blake for Dirt A staple from the get-go, a midcentury-era newspaper ad deemed Rod’s Grill “one of the most popular spots in Arcadia,” serving “the best in teenage snacks while catering to the adults of the city as well.” It has been delighting customers with its down-home fare and friendly service ever since.
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Image Credit: Lindsay Blake for Dirt At some point in the 1960s, Glenn and Rod parted ways, dividing up their eateries. The Arcadia outpost went to Blize, but in an interesting twist, Wellman’s wife and two sons wound up purchasing it back in 1986 and proceeded to run it for the next decade. They then passed the torch on to Zacatecas, Mexico native Manny Romero in 1996. Aside from adding a few new menu items inspired by his hometown, Rod’s new owner kept things largely status quo.
Although customers continued to flock there, the restaurant was dealt a serious blow in 2005 when government officials threatened eminent domain on the site with the intention of tearing it down to make way for the expansion of a neighboring Mercedes-Benz dealership, a proposition that would significantly enhance the city of Arcadia’s tax earnings. Thankfully, outraged locals and bureaucrats alike stepped up to thwart the plan and Rod’s was saved after what amounted to a prolonged battle lasting several years.
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Image Credit: Lindsay Blake for Dirt The eatery suffered an even more considerable blow due to the pandemic. Along with the many unpredictable forced closures and revenue losses, Covid tragically claimed the life of Manny at the age of 67 on January 27, 2021. The grill shuttered for several months following his untimely death before eventually being reopened by his family members later that summer. By all accounts, business was steady, so it was a surprise to most when the eatery popped up on LoopNet late last month. Offered for $1.38 million by Simon Mattox, Austin Wolitarsky and Dan Riley of CB Richard Ellis, the property was snapped up within weeks by an unnamed party, with future plans for the site also remaining under wraps. The sale included the 3,352-square-foot restaurant and its 0.32-acre lot, which provides parking for 12 cars.
A significant loss to the community, the historic diner will be missed not just by its legions of loyal patrons, but by location managers, as well. Thanks to its authentically retro appeal, the place became a favorite of filmmakers throughout the decades, with Manny always working to ensure the frequent shoots did not disrupt his employees. In an article detailing Romero’s passing, Scott Hettrick of Arcadia’s Best wrote, “What always impressed me was that despite the publicity and money Manny could generate from these Hollywood productions, he was always concerned about not being open for his regular customers during shooting days, and he never agreed unless the studios paid him enough to pay his staff even during times the diner had to close for production.”
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Image Credit: Lionsgate Television -
Image Credit: Lindsay Blake for Dirt The eatery most famously appeared in the season five episode of “Mad Men” titled “Far Away Places,” posing as the Plattsburgh, N.Y.-area Howard Johnson motor lodge that advertising executive Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and his new wife, Megan (Jessica Paré), visit for a marketing campaign. While there, the two share a triple scoop of the motel’s famed orange sherbet and get into an epic fight over their current relationship dynamic.
According to Arcadia’s Best, the “Mad Men” location manager first learned about Rod’s during a scout of the nearby Chamber of Commerce for a different episode. While there, he happened to inquire if any other area sites had a 1960s look and a city worker mentioned the retro eatery. The rest is history.
The production team installed a faux breeze block concrete wall outside the diner’s doors for the one-day shoot (spoiler – it was actually made of Styrofoam!), orange edging to the tables and counter and Howard Johnson signage throughout. Otherwise, no additional set dressing was needed to transport the restaurant back to the midcentury – and the “Mad Men” cast and crew along with it.
Only the interior of Rod’s Grill appeared in the episode. For scenes involving the exterior of the Howard Johnson, an actual former outpost of the motel chain located at 14624 Dalewood St. in Baldwin Park was utilized.
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Image Credit: Trimark Pictures Rod’s Grill also features in the 1997 comedy “Sprung” as the spot where adversaries Adina (Paula Jai Parker) and Clyde (Joe Torry) meet to discuss the relationship currently blossoming between their best friends as well as possible ways to break them up.
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Image Credit: ABC The locale was used regularly in establishing shots of Quincy’s Diner, where Kristin Baxter (Amanda Fuller) works as a waitress throughout the first few seasons of “Last Man Standing.”
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Image Credit: NBC Rod’s pops up a couple of times on the television series “This Is Us” as Kate Pearson’s (Chrissy Metz) longtime place of employment, initially appearing in the season two Halloween-themed episode titled “The 20s” as Kate is shown flirting with a regular, whom she later goes home with despite correctly assuming that he is married.
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Image Credit: NBC A teenage Kate (Hannah Zeile) also brings her brothers to the restaurant for a late-night after-hours hangout in the season six episode titled “Every Version of You.”
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Image Credit: Warner Bros. Television Additionally, the place served as a central location on the short-lived HBO show “Luck,” portraying the hangout of the so-called railbirds, Marcus (Kevin Dunn), Jerry (Jason Gedrick), Lonnie (Ian Hart) and Renzo (Ritchie Coster).
Rod’s was also one of several different spots utilized as the diner owned by Maxine Gray (Tyne Daly) on the CBS series “Judging Amy,” which currently isn’t available to stream anywhere, hence the lack of a screenshot.
Whatever the new owners have in store for the historic site, at the very least, Rod’s Grill will be forever memorialized onscreen for fans to revisit virtually time and time again.