Iconic California Route 66 cafe in peril as historic road turns 100

A Route 66 legend could soon be no more.

The future of the Bagdad Cafe, a popular waypoint along America’s legendary Mother Road, is hanging in the balance — following the closure of the cafe’s kitchen and the death of its founder.

Inspired by the 1987 film of the same name, Andrea Pruett opened the restaurant in Newberry Springs in 1995.

The cult classic arthouse flick follows a German tourist (Marianne Sägebrecht) who founds a cafe in the area after finding herself stranded there.

Housed in a small A-frame building on Route 66, which celebrates 100 years this year, the quirky pitstop is decorated inside and out with flags, stamps, license plates, and jerseys from all over the world.

But the business was hit hard by the pandemic-era closures — and never quite recovered.

“We don’t get any locals, and we don’t cook any food right now,” Mark Bradley, the cafe’s manager told the Los Angeles Times. “But we’re definitely on the map to see … it’s magic that takes place here.”

The cafe celebrated the popular German-made film, housing plenty of memorabilia and keeping the jukebox on the film’s theme song “Calling You.”

Pruett, who died at 85 earlier this year, was known for being welcoming to guests.

“When people came in, it was like a director saying, ‘Action!’ ” Pruett’s grandson, Greg Landers, told The times. “She would just go right into welcoming people and telling them to sit down, answering their questions.”

Bagdad was visited by plenty of famous faces, including Prince Albert of Monaco and Renée Zellwegger, who spoke about visiting the cafe in an appearance on “The Tonight Show.”

In 2023, Bagdad was nearly destroyed — its roof collapsing under the weight of Tropical Storm Hilary-related storms. More than $25,000 was raised through an online campaign for repairs at the time.

A documentary from French filmmaker Leá De Carmo about the final years of Pruett’s life, “The Keeper of Bagdad”, was released this year.

“One thing she never forgot was the cafe,” De Carmo told The Times. “She always knew where she was and that it was the place she wanted to be.”

Matt Parker, one of the cafe’s caretakers, said the stop receives up to three tour buses on a good day.

Though the kitchen is closed, the cafe still welcomes visitors to take photos, and purchase souvenirs. Pruett’s family says they’re still “figuring out” the cafe’s future following her death.

“You can’t recreate this,” Parker told The Times. “We’re just caretakers of it. It’s a museum and church, in a sense, with all this stuff. Mrs. Pruett really focused on protecting it, protecting these people’s stuff — their mark.”

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