Route 66 will close after business hours Sunday

Jillian Ellison | Lafayette Journal & Courier

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.— With the business' lease ending on Nov. 30, the Route 66 Diner has made the decision to close its doors after operational hours on Sunday.

Greg and Carrie Ehresman, owners of the Route 66 restaurant and Triple XXX near Purdue University's campus, said the decision to close the location isn't out of any negative occurrences, just the natural ending of their lease.

"We are going to focus on the Triple XXX restaurant brand and the Triple XXX root beer brand," Carrie Ehresman said. "We start our 90th anniversary celebration next year, so we are super excited about that."

Ehresman said plans are in the works for the milestone anniversary, but no plans are concrete yet.

"We are going to celebrate for 12 months starting in January with promotions and some other fun stuff," she said.

Ehresman said gift cards to the Triple XXX and Route 66 are interchangeable, with the ability to use them past Sunday at Triple XXX.

Although she has been questioned by patrons since the announcement of Route 66's closure, Ehresman said absolutely nothing will change at the Triple XXX.

"We have had 15 great years of delicious food, great service and we have had some amazingly loyal and special guests at Route 66," Ehresman said. "We look forward to them joining us at the Triple XXX."

Reach reporter Jillian Ellison at 765-420-5228 or at jeellison@gannett.com.