Albert Okura, longtime owner and founder of the Juan Pollo restaurant chain who purchased the Route 66 town of Amboy, California, in 2005, died last week.
Okura also owned the first original McDonald’s — also a popular Route 66 stop in San Bernardino, California. He purchased that location in 1998, stocked it with McDonald’s memorabilia and placed his Juan Pollo headquarters there.
That McDonald’s reported Okura’s death on its Facebook page:
Several of Okura’s friends also confirmed his death Friday, according to the San Bernardino County Sun. No age was available, but based on archived newspaper articles that reported his age at the time, he was about 72. No cause of death was reported.
Funeral arrangements for Okura had not been announced.
A few tributes already have trickled in:
After years in the fast-food industry, Okura opened his first Juan Pollo restaurant — specializing in rotisserie-cooked chicken as its staple — in the mid-1980s. It now has 26 locations, many in the Los Angeles metro area.
The Sun reported this about the purchase of Amboy:
In 2005, Okura purchased the small Mojave Desert town of Amboy along historic Route 66.
The $425,000 sale came with two dirt landing strips, a 26-unit motel, a church, a functioning post office, four gas pumps and an assortment of scattered buildings.
And, Roy’s Motel and Cafe, a Route 66 landmark.
Okura eventually brought back fuel sales at Roy’s and reopened its restaurant as a sort of convenience store and welcome center. Just a few years ago, the neon for the iconic Roy’s sign was restored.
Okura’s son has taken over much of the management of Roy’s and Amboy, with a long-range plan to renovate and reopen the motel units there.
Roy’s in Amboy opened in 1938 through owner Roy Crowl. But the most well-known owner of Roy’s was Buster Burris. By the late 1940s, Roy’s garage, motel and restaurant were open 24 hours a day to serve Route 66 travelers.
The property’s business declined after the opening of Interstate 40, and Burris retired in 1995. Burris died in 2000.
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I’m sad to hear this. We met Albert while visiting his McDonald’s museum when I asked a guy in there about the owner owning the town of Amboy. Low and behold, it was him! He gave us a tour of the museum and later bought us lunch at one of his restaurants. He even gave me an autographed copy of his book which was very interesting to read. I was hoping get back out there and meet with him. Super nice guy and I’m glad to have met him.