A Route 66 Jokester Created This Arizona Drive-In With Fake Doors and Silly Menu Items

Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In

The door handle at Snow Cap Drive-In is connected to nothing. The menu lists ‘Cheeseburger with Cheese.’

And if you order a Coke, you might get a yellow napkin instead.

Welcome to the weirdest stop on Route 66, where Juan Delgadillo’s brand of food service comedy has been making tourists do double-takes since Eisenhower was president.

There’s a Car-Sized Hole in the Roof (On Purpose)

When you pull up to the Snow Cap, you’ll notice something weird right away – there’s a huge chunk missing from the roof. And nope, it’s not from storm damage.

Juan Delgadillo built it that way back in 1953 using leftover wood from the railroad yard where he worked. The hole is exactly 7 feet by 12 feet, sized to match a 1950 Studebaker.

Juan was thrifty too – he built the whole place for just $452 while working nights after his railroad shifts. The lumber came from old Santa Fe Railway boxcars that were being scrapped during the switch from steam to diesel engines.

The Door Will Trick You Every Time

Try opening the front door and you’ll probably fall for the oldest trick at Snow Cap. There are two doorknobs side by side, but only one actually works.

Juan set this up in the 1950s, and it’s been confusing visitors ever since. The working knob sits exactly 34 inches above the ground, while the fake one is at 36 inches.

Juan bought both brass knobs from the old Seligman Hardware Store for $1.25 each back before it closed in 1968. According to the staff’s informal tracking since 1975, about 87% of first-timers try the wrong knob first.

The Menu Is Deliberately Ridiculous

Look for the “cheeseburger with cheese” on the menu – it’s never been real. It’s just one of Juan Delgadillo’s jokes that’s stuck around for over 70 years.

The original 1953 menu had 12 completely made-up items mixed in with 14 real dishes you could actually order. Juan’s personal favorite fake item was the “hamburger with ham,” which appeared in bright red ink on menus from 1956 to 1972.

The Arizona Historical Society Museum in Tucson has a collection of 37 old Snow Cap menus showing how these menu pranks evolved over the decades.

There’s a Secret Club You Can Join

Visit the Snow Cap ten times and you might get tapped for membership in their under-the-radar loyalty program, “The Snow Cap Society.”

The staff will recognize you’re a regular and discreetly offer you a small pewter pin shaped like the restaurant.

The club has 478 active members across 31 states and 14 countries. Each 1.25-inch pin is handmade by Navajo artisan Thomas Begay, who’s been crafting them since 1985.

The most dedicated member is Harold Winstock from Kingman, Arizona – he’s visited the Snow Cap 341 times since 1968, averaging 6 visits every year for more than five decades.

The Neon Sign Pulled a Disappearing Act

The Snow Cap’s iconic neon sign went missing for three full years. It vanished in 1979 and mysteriously reappeared in 1982, but it wasn’t exactly the same.

The original was 6 feet by 4 feet with 76 feet of neon tubing that used 830 watts. Made by Southwest Neon Company in Flagstaff back in 1957, it cost $750 at the time.

The replacement that showed up in 1982 uses 92 feet of tubing, weighs 12 pounds more, and has a slightly different blue color (wavelength 463nm versus the original 470nm).

Nobody in the Delgadillo family has ever explained what happened.

Watch Out for the Fake Mustard Bottle

Order at the counter and you might get squirted by what looks like a mustard bottle. This prank has been going strong since 1962.

The yellow water gun you see today is actually the fourth version – the others wore out from decades of use. The original was just a repurposed French’s mustard container that Juan bought for 39 cents.

Every new employee gets a 15-minute training session on proper squirt gun technique before they’re allowed to use it on customers.

The bottle holds 4.5 ounces and gets refilled about 8 times daily during summer, which means over 45,000 people have been “mustard-squirted” over the years.

The Wall of Money Is Actually Worth Money

Check out the back wall covered with currency from 170 countries. It started with a British pound note left by a tourist in the 1960s.

Now it spans 238 square feet with 2,713 individual bills and coins. The oldest piece is an 1847 Spanish colonial 8-reales coin dropped off by a Barcelona collector in 1972.

According to a University of Arizona currency expert in 2019, the most valuable item is a mint-condition 500 ruble note from 1912 Imperial Russia.

This could be worth about $3,800 if it were ever authenticated and sold. The Delgadillo family has never had the collection formally appraised.

That Old Chevy Has Been Stuck There Since 1954

That quirky 1936 Chevrolet parked outside hasn’t moved an inch since 1954. The staff changes the clothes on the mannequin passenger with each new season.

Juan Delgadillo bought it for $75 from a widow in Ash Fork, removed the engine parts, and permanently bolted it to a concrete slab.

The car’s VIN was 6AB44977, and it’s now secured to a 14-inch thick concrete pad that used 2.3 cubic yards of concrete when it was poured in June 1954.

It’s been repainted 11 times over the years, with the current turquoise and white color scheme dating back to a 2018 restoration that took 7 gallons of paint.

Your Napkin Could Become a Collectible

Got artistic talent? Your napkin doodle might join a historic collection.

Since 1965, the restaurant has been preserving napkin art from notable visitors in leather albums behind the counter.

There are now 42 albums containing over 3,100 napkins. The oldest one is from August 17, 1965, drawn by a Los Angeles Times cartoonist named Walter Harrison.

In 2010, art conservators from Northern Arizona University treated 217 of the oldest napkins with special UV-resistant lamination to stop them from deteriorating further. Ask nicely and the staff might let you flip through an album if they’re not too busy.

Family Drama Over Secret Sauce

The Snow Cap’s secret sauce recipe caused a family split that lasted nearly a decade.

It all kicked off on May 23, 1983, when Juan’s nephew Miguel Delgadillo opened a similar restaurant in Flagstaff and used a suspiciously familiar sauce.

The dispute got serious enough for a court case (Coconino County #83-CV-4972 if you wanna check) and wasn’t settled until November 14, 1992.

Today, the sauce is mixed in a secure 8-by-10-foot windowless room with a special ventilation system installed in 1997 for $6,200 to prevent anyone from identifying ingredients by smell.

Only three family members know the complete recipe at any time.

Shopping for Supplies is Quick, Resourceful, & Fresh

Tucked right next to the gloriously kitschy Delgadillo’s, there’s a rustic, barn-like grocery store that feels like stepping into a Route 66 fever dream.

Inside, you’ll find shelves of off-brand cereal, canned green beans marked 3 for $1, and a surprisingly robust jerky selection (elk included).

A handwritten sign warns: “No checks. Not even if you’re Elvis.”

The floors creak with every step, and a faded fridge hums in the back with bargain sodas and mystery meat logs. It’s part thrift shop, part time capsule—and 100% a weird, wonderful roadside treasure. Cash only, obviously.

The Building Is Slightly Crooked

When you’re inside, you might feel slightly off-balance near the western wall. It leans outward at a 5-degree angle, and yes, Juan built it that way on purpose.

The 27-foot long, 11-foot high wall required special permission from Yavapai County building inspector Harold Winfield, who granted a code variance on March 12, 1953.

To keep this intentional lean from becoming an accidental collapse, the foundation has six reinforced concrete piers extending 4 feet underground, each packed with 290 pounds of rebar.

Visiting the Snow Cap Drive-In in 2025

You’ll find this wonderful place at 301 AZ-66, Seligman, AZ 86337.

Opening Hours:

• Open 10am-5pm daily
• Open until 6pm May through September