Route 53 a tasty dose of nostalgia

RATHDRUM – Now that the Route 53 Diner has been around for a while, it’s a destination for local car and motorcycle hobbyists, a meeting place for many groups and a home to a large number of regulars.

Julie and Eric Simpson own the 1950s-style diner, and while dentist Eric is busy working on porcelain in Coeur d’Alene, Julie and daughter, Kaylie, stay busy serving great food and shining the chrome in the diner.

The Simpsons moved to the area from Juneau, Alaska, in 2004 and soon began looking for a place to meld their love of cars with Julie’s culinary background.

“Several generations of my family owned restaurants, and I worked for the school district in Juneau as a chef/teacher for the junior and senior high schools,” Julie Simpson said.

The Simpsons purchased a building and began transforming it into a ‘50s-style diner.

Decorated with vintage car parts, pictures and memorabilia, the restaurant provides a fun atmosphere. The nostalgic red-and-silver interior features a vintage motorcycle, benches made from Cadillac rear ends and parking meters from Sandpoint.

“Much of the décor is from our garage,” said Simpson, looking around the picture-clad walls.

Regulars line up at the old-fashioned bar near the kitchen and enjoy bantering with (or sometimes heckling) the good-natured cook.

One such regular, whose CDs are for sale in the diner, is Slim Dossey, a guitar-playing singer of Sons of the Pioneers and, later, Sons of the Golden West fame.

“I’m in the Seattle, Sacramento and Tulsa halls of fame,” Dossey said. “They each have their own, you know.”

And the food? Julie Simpson said they listen to customers and have added vegetarian items to their vintage ‘50s fare of hamburgers, french fries and milkshakes.

The “53 Burger,” also known as “Junk in the Trunk,” is the most popular meal. The Simpsons also offer buffalo burgers and reasonably priced prime rib on weekends. And the diner is open for breakfast and offers a full breakfast menu.

The children’s menu is being enlarged, and an insert, featuring smaller portions, will be available soon for senior citizens.

Although the Simpsons offer a varied menu, people often come in just for fries and milkshakes. The diner offers both regular and malted milkshakes made the old-fashioned way.

“What is really interesting is that we sell more milkshakes than beer,” Julie Simpson said.

The diner networks with dozens of car and motorcycle groups and has become a stopping-off place for many poker runs and a starting place for other events.

The Simpsons host Cruise Night for cars every Thursday night and have added a Bike Night for motorcycles on Tuesdays this year.

Recently, a group came in after a “garage tour,” during which they had toured people’s garages, Simpson said.

An electric car club also has begun meeting at the diner recently.

“We have dinner, then a short meeting and then pull the shades down and convert the diner into a movie theater. Last month, we had 130 people in here,” said Simpson.

On a recent Saturday, hundreds of motorcyclists stopped to register for a poker run. While the bikers were still lined up, vendors began arriving for a swap meet organized by Simpson. She also has organized the diner’s second-annual car show for Sept. 22.

But it’s not all about cars and motorcycles at the Route 53 Diner.

Sometimes, the diner is closed for private parties such as birthdays or anniversaries. Business people meet there for lunch, a men’s Bible group convenes there and a scrapbooking group makes the restaurant its meeting place.

Simpson also prepares special menu items and does catering for weddings.

One local resident couldn’t find anywhere in Rathdrum to go following her father’s funeral. “Julie was wonderful,” the woman said. “She arranged an area for us, made some hors d’oeuvres and made us welcome.”

Julie Simpson’s favorite thing?

“What I really enjoy immensely are the people – they’re just amazing. Really, it’s like an extended family. I enjoy the friendliness and helpfulness; it’s the feeling that people really care for and support one another,” she said.

The diner partners with the Rathdrum library on various reading programs. Kids who read six books receive a certificate good for a small milkshake at the diner.

The Simpsons also give a free milkshake to kids who wear their team jerseys for a meal at the diner on the day of their games.

“They get a shake,” says Simpson, “whether they won or lost.”