Baxter Springs, Kansas sits at the very bottom tip of the state where Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma meet, right on old Route 66. It is a small town with a big history, and for a stretch of years it had a restaurant inside a former bank building that could stop a road tripper cold. Café on the Route appeared in Season 2, Episode 2 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives — “Route 66,” aired October 8, 2007 — and it brought the kind of creative, unexpected cooking to that episode that nobody expected to find in southeast Kansas. It closed in January 2013, but the story of what happened inside that 1870 building is worth knowing.
The building itself has its own credentials. Built in 1870 as the Crowell Bank, it was robbed in 1876 by Jesse James and Cole Younger. Chef Richard Sanell and his wife Amy opened the café inside those same walls in the late 1990s and turned it into something Baxter Springs had never seen before.
Quick Facts
Restaurant: Café on the Route
City: Baxter Springs, Kansas
Cuisine: American / Comfort Food
DDD Season: 2
DDD Episode: 2
Episode Title: Route 66
Original Air Date: October 8, 2007
Address: 1101 Military Ave., Baxter Springs, KS 66713
Phone: 620-856-5646
Website: N/A
Status: Permanently Closed
About Café on the Route
Richard Sanell trained at the Culinary Institute of America, which made him about as unlikely a fit for a small Kansas town as you could imagine. That turned out to be exactly the point. He and Amy built a menu that drew people off Route 66 from hundreds of miles away, earning a reputation that culminated in the Triple D appearance in 2007. Guy Fieri came through during the “Route 66” episode and found killer crusted catfish, Aztec chicken with a rum glaze, avocado and chiles, and food that had no business being this good this far off the beaten path.
The café also operated as a bed and breakfast inn inside the historic building, giving road trippers a reason to stay longer than just one meal. Reviews from its years of operation consistently called the food exceptional, the atmosphere warm, and the owners genuinely welcoming. Amy would regularly come out to sit with guests and talk about the history of the building and the town.
Café on the Route closed on New Year’s Eve 2012, posting a farewell message on Facebook on January 2, 2013. The closure was attributed to personal reasons. It operated for roughly 14 years and left a mark on Baxter Springs and on Route 66 food history that outlasted the building’s tenure as a restaurant.
What Was on the Menu
The Food Network episode highlighted the Crusted Catfish, the Aztec Chicken with rum glaze, avocado, and green chiles, and the Fried Potato Salad — a dish that became one of the most talked-about items on the menu among regulars and Triple D fans who made the trip. The Tobacco Onion Straws and a Twice Baked Potato were also standout sides that guests consistently singled out in reviews.
This was not diner food. This was a chef-driven kitchen operating inside a 150-year-old bank vault on one of America’s most storied roads. Worth the detour while it lasted.
Last Known Location
Address: 1101 Military Ave., Baxter Springs, KS 66713
Phone: 620-856-5646
Status: Permanently Closed
Café on the Route appeared in Season 2, Episode 2 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “Route 66,” originally aired October 8, 2007. It closed permanently in January 2013.
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Fuel the Obsession
If the Route 66 episode sent you down a rabbit hole, Guy’s book More Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives covers 60 more of his favorite stops across the country. And if you want to cook like the places he finds, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives: An All-American Road Trip with Recipes brings those flavors home.