Tucked into a long feature about Roy’s Motel and Cafe in Amboy, California, was this newsworthy nugget: The owner plans to reopen the cabins and cafe to overnight travelers sometime in 2024.
SF Gate published a feature about the Route 66 landmark and owner Kyle Okura, who has taken over its operations after his father — Juan Pollo restaurant chain founder Albert Okura — died at age 71 in January. Albert Okura purchased Roy’s and the near-deserted town of Amboy in 2005.
The story contained this excerpt:
For now, management is optimistic about the future of the motel, which is in dire need of restoration: Okura says that they plan to reopen the cottages so travelers can actually stay overnight, as well as the cafe in the next year.
The last time the cabins were open to overnight travelers was about two decades ago. There are only six cabins, along with a long-closed motel building in the back of the property,
But the prospect of sleeping in small but charming cabins amid the quiet of the Mojave Desert would be enticing indeed.
And the attraction of having a restaurant open, when the closest one is 40 miles away, is obvious.
Whether the cabins and restaurant actually will open next year is another thing. Reviving Roy’s, even piecemeal, has encountered numerous setbacks since Albert Okura acquired it, namely because the town’s isolation leads to a lot of challenges.
But I also hold optimism it will happen, mainly because of this excerpt from the article:
There were many moments when Okura wanted to quit. There were times when he lost all of his employees in the same week, summer days that reached triple-digits, and long nights where he’d have to drive hours to Amboy all alone. But then he remembered his father telling him to keep the legacy alive, because it was an opportunity that no one, including him, would ever see again.
“I kind of just held onto those words,” Okura said. “… And now that we’ve patched the dark part of the tunnel, it’s almost like everything that he wanted me to do, we’re doing this year.”
(Image of Roy’s Motel and Cafe in Amboy, California, with its cabins by Thomas Hawk via Flickr)
This is the best news ever. I spoke with Albert Okura for nearly an hour during summer 2010. He was a very sincere, pleasant man. But he was concerned about the future of his business because his kids weren’t interested in fast food. I’m glad to see his kid is carrying the torch as far as Amboy goes. I can’t wait to stay in one of the cabins and eat at the cafe.