Rocko's Diner

{{Short description|Restaurant in Mission, British Columbia, Canada}} {{Use Canadian English|date=May 2021}} {{Infobox restaurant | embed = | name = Rocko's Diner | title =  | logo = | logo_width = | logo_alt = | image = | image_width = | image_alt = | image_caption = | mapframe =  | pushpin_map =  | map_size = | map_alt = | map_caption = | slogan = | established = {{Start date|1956|07|11}} | current_owner = Schiller Family | previous_owner = Nick Nicholson | food_type = diner | street_address = 32786 Lougheed Highway | city = Mission | county = | state = British Columbia | postcode =  | country = Canada | coordinates = {{coord|49.13276|N|122.31681|W|display=inline,title}} | website = {{URL|https://rockosdiner.com/}} }}

'''Rocko's Diner''' is a diner located in Mission, British Columbia, best known for its forty flavours of milkshakes and its use as a filming location for several televisions shows. The diner was the first drive-in and first 24-hour restaurant in Mission. In 2017, ''USA Today'' named the diner one of Canada's top ten filming locations.<ref name="Sunday">{{cite news |last1=Sunday |first1=Courtney |title=10 Famous Filming Locations in Canada |url=https://www.10best.com/interests/explore/10-famous-filming-locations-in-canada-that-might-surprise-you/ |access-date=4 May 2021 |publisher=USA Today |date=June 20, 2017}}</ref>

==History== On July 11, 1956, under ownership of Nick Nicholson, the diner opened as Nick's Diner and then was named Hi-Lite Burger Bar.<ref name="Lypka">{{cite news |last1=Lypka |first1=Ben |title=Mission's Rocko's Diner goes Hollywood |url=https://www.langleyadvancetimes.com/news/missions-rockos-diner-goes-hollywood/ |access-date=4 May 2021 |publisher=Langley Advance Times |date=April 21, 2017}}</ref> It was Mission's first highway drive-in.<ref name="affair">{{cite news |title=Which of these movies and TV shows were filmed in Canada |url=https://www.canadianaffair.com/blog/which-movies-and-tv-shows-were-filmed-in-canada/ |access-date=4 May 2021 |publisher=Canadian Affair |date=June 19, 2018}}</ref> To celebrate the opening, Nicholson hosted an open-air dance on the driveway of the restaurant.<ref>{{cite news |title=Burger-Bar Drive-In Opens |publisher=Fraser Valley Record |date=July 11, 1956}}</ref> The Schiller family acquired the Hi-Lite Burger Bar in the early 1980s and renamed it Rocko's Diner in 1986.<ref name="affair"/>

==In popular culture== Because the Schiller family owns both the land and the diner, the restaurant is an attractive filming location for production companies.<ref name="Harrison"/> Rocko's Diner has been a filming location for several films and television shows, including various Hallmark movies, ''Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief'', ''Killer Among Us'', and ''Horns''.<ref name="Harrison"/><ref name="affair"/>

The diner is the site for the pilot scenes of Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe in ''Riverdale''.<ref name="Harrison">{{cite news |last1=Harrison |first1=Olivia |title=We Talked To The Owner Of The Real-Life Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/10/178051/rockos-diner-real-pops-chockli-shoppe-riverdale |access-date=4 May 2021 |publisher=Refinery29 |date=October 24, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Lypka"/> The set used for later scenes in the series was modeled after Rocko's.<ref name="coast"/><ref name="Khoo">{{cite news |last1=Khoo |first1=Isabel |title=Beloved TV Shows You Didn't Know Were Filmed In Canada |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/06/09/tv-shows-filmed-in-canada_n_17003852.html |access-date=4 May 2021 |publisher=HuffPost Canada |date=June 9, 2017}}</ref> After the ''Riverdale'' scenes were filmed at the diner, fans of the show began visiting the diner.<ref name="Harrison"/><ref name="affair"/> Rocko's named milkshakes after the characters of Archie, Veronica, and Betty, and created a burger called the Jughead Burger.<ref name="Harrison"/><ref name="Brimacombe">{{cite news |last1=Brimacombe |first1=Jody |title=The diner from 'Riverdale' is a real restaurant — here's what it's like to visit |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/the-diner-from-riverdale-is-real-heres-what-its-like-to-visit-2017-10 |access-date=4 May 2021 |publisher=Insider |date=October 6, 2017}}</ref> Following Luke Perry's death, the diner created a milkshake to honour him and his acting career.<ref name="coast">{{cite news |title='Riverdale' diner in B.C. to create milkshake honouring Luke Perry |url=https://www.coastmountainnews.com/trending-now/riverdale-diner-in-b-c-to-create-milkshake-honouring-luke-perry/ |access-date=4 May 2021 |publisher=Coast Mountain News |date=March 5, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Amiri">{{cite news |last1=Amiri |first1=Hamed |title="Riverdale" Diner in Mission naming Milkshake in Honour of Luke Perry |url=https://604now.com/rockos-family-diner-luke-perry-milkshake/ |access-date=4 May 2021 |publisher=604 Now |date=March 6, 2019}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:Restaurants established in 1956 Category:Restaurants in British Columbia Category:Buildings and structures in British Columbia Category:Diners Category:Mission, British Columbia Category:1956 establishments in British Columbia