Parkette Drive In on East New Circle Road was a Lexington institution for over 70 years, operating as a classic American carhop drive-in from 1951 until it closed in June 2022. It appeared in Season 10, Episode 4 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “You Found ‘Em,” which aired September 20, 2010. Guy Fieri found the kind of drive-in that was already disappearing from the American landscape when he arrived — carhop service, hand-formed burgers, hand-dipped milkshakes, and the neon-lit parking lot experience that defined roadside eating in mid-century America. Parkette was one of the last surviving examples of the format in Kentucky and is genuinely missed by the Lexington community that grew up with it.
Quick Facts
Restaurant: Parkette Drive In
City: Lexington, Kentucky
Cuisine: American / Drive-In Fare
DDD Season: 10
DDD Episode: 4
Episode Title: You Found ‘Em
Original Air Date: September 20, 2010
Address: 1230 E. New Circle Rd., Lexington, KY 40505 (former location)
Status: Permanently Closed (closed June 2022)
Last Known Location
Address: 1230 E. New Circle Rd., Lexington, KY 40505
Status: Permanently Closed as of June 2022.
Parkette Drive In appeared in Season 10, Episode 4 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “You Found ‘Em,” originally aired September 20, 2010. The drive-in operated from 1951 until June 2022.