FILLMORE : Dino’s Carhop Eatery Serves Its Last Meal

After 35 years of serving hamburgers and hot dogs to Fillmore residents and hungry travelers on California 126, Dino’s Frosty Mug closed its doors Monday evening.

“It’s a sad day for me and for Dino’s staff,” said Duke Bradbury, who leased the restaurant and has worked there for 20 years. “It’s a real loss to the community because it’s irreplaceable.”

The closure of the last carhop restaurant in Ventura County came six months after a development company that co-owns the property decided to use the site as an entrance to a new shopping center.

Officials at Watt Commercial Development said they will build an access lane to the 81,000-square-foot Balden Towne Plaza to be built near the Dino’s site along California 126.

Equipment from Dino’s, a former A & W restaurant that featured 11 carhop stalls, will be sold to a Los Angeles firm and auctioned off, Bradbury said.

“I don’t want to be around when they tear it down,” said Bradbury, who fought in court to keep it open. “It’s devastating to me, and I feel sorry that the developer and city officials don’t see the historical value of the place.”