After being a Mexican restaurant for years, the former Sonrise Donuts building along Route 66 in Springfield, Illinois, will be transformed into a retro diner called The Fountain on 66.
The Springfield State Journal-Register (subscription required) reports that Tom Hart signed a lease effective Jan. 1 to take over the building,
Hart will have to renovate the interior to bring it back to its retro roots, as much of it was gutted by previous operators.
Hart said he has purchased a soda fountain counter built in 1941 that was reclaimed from a Chicago pharmacy to anchor the interior at The Fountain on 66. Old school bar stools will flank the counter. Table top jukeboxes will adorn individual tables.
The menu will feature smash burgers, fries, shakes, ice cream, flavored sodas and even doughnuts, as an homage to the building’s history. A first quarter 2025 opening is planned.
The renovations won’t include the original two-sided Sonrise Donuts neon sign. One-half of it is at Ace Sign Co.’s museum in Springfield (seen above). The other half is at Route 66 Motorheads Bar & Grill, also in Springfield.
Sonrise Donuts at 1101 N. Ninth St. (aka Route 66) opened in 1947 and closed in 1998 after the death of its longtime owner Don “Donuts” Greenslade.
(Image of the lighted Sonrise Donuts neon sign at Ace Sign Co. by Visit Springfield via Facebook)