The Cucamonga Service Station sits at 9670 Foothill Boulevard, on Rancho Cucamonga's stretch of Route 66. It was built in 1915 as a refueling and service stop. It now runs as a museum of local and Route 66 history, open Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The nonprofit that owns and runs it, Route 66 Inland Empire California, says it gets no federal, state or local funding and depends on members and donors.
The city billed 2026 as a "year-long Centennial celebration" of the Mother Road. Follow Foothill from the station this fall, though, and the year's real change shows up in storefronts. Between August 1 and September 19, four new businesses held grand openings along the corridor. Over the same weeks, the city's centennial calendar ran out of dates.
The calendar went quiet after September 18
The city's biggest centennial day on Foothill Boulevard was Friday, September 18. A Route 66 Pancake Breakfast ran from 7 to 10 a.m. at the RC Sports Center, at $20 a plate. A Poker Run followed from 9 a.m. to noon along historic Foothill, with $25 scorecard packets for participants 21 and up. Half the pot went to the winning hand, and the proceeds went to the Cucamonga Service Station's garage project.
As of the end of September, the city's Route 66 Centennial page lists no event dates for October, November or December. The page itself says "More details coming soon." The year's centerpiece fundraiser has already happened, and a resident looking for the next date on the city calendar won't find one.
The boulevard itself kept changing anyway.
Four grand openings in seven weeks
Here is what's new on Foothill, in order of street number. Hours are as each business posts them, and posted hours change, so check before you go.
| Address on Foothill Blvd | Business | Grand opening | Posted hours | What's on the menu |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9950, Suite G | Red Berry Coffee Bar | Saturday, Aug. 1 | 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Espresso drinks, ceremonial matcha, pastries, breakfast and lunch |
| 10582, Suite B140 | Bora Bora Smoothie Cafe | Saturday, Sept. 19 | 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily | Smoothies, açaí bowls, specialty coffee, waffles, crepes |
| 11561 W., Suite 101 | Primecut Taqueria | Saturday, Sept. 12 | Not posted for this location | Tacos, burritos, surf-and-turf burritos, quesadillas, tortas, bowls, nachos |
| 11995, Suite 120 | Tequileros Taqueria | Saturday, Sept. 19 | 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily | Tacos, burritos, quesabirria, tortas, loaded fries, bowls |
Red Berry Coffee Bar is the one with the deepest local roots. The city's Economic Development newsletter for August 2026 describes it as locally owned and "now open along historic Route 66." The newsletter pitches it as a place to meet friends or get work done.
The two taquerias come from regional chains making new moves. The Daily Bulletin reported that Primecut Taqueria, which is based in Orange County, chose Rancho Cucamonga for its first Inland Empire location. Tequileros opened its Rancho Cucamonga location the same day it opened one in Chino Hills. Both joined an existing Tequileros on Sierra Lakes Parkway in Fontana.
There's also a fifth name at a higher street number. UMI Buffet, a sushi and seafood buffet at 12499 Foothill Boulevard in Foothill Marketplace, was expected to open in spring 2026, according to an April 2025 report from IE Business Daily. Its own location page now lists the Rancho Cucamonga restaurant as open, with hours of 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday. We couldn't confirm the exact opening day, so it sits outside the seven-week count above.
What the new storefronts change about the corridor
Put the posted hours side by side and the new places cover most of the day. Red Berry opens at 7 a.m. Tequileros and Bora Bora open at 9. Tequileros closes at 10 p.m., and Bora Bora stays open until 11 every night. On weekends UMI also runs until 11.
All of these are everyday places: a coffee bar, a smoothie and crepe cafe, two taquerias and a buffet. None of them is a destination you'd save for a special occasion. The centennial's planned events put Foothill on the calendar for one Friday morning. The new storefronts give people a reason to drive or walk that same stretch on an ordinary Tuesday.
Rancho Cucamonga's existing Route 66 names make that more noticeable. The city's centennial page lists the Sycamore Inn and the Magic Lamp Inn among its Route 66 landmarks, next to the service station. Those are the places the city points visitors to. This fall's new arrivals are the places neighbors will come across on routine errands.
The garage project still has no start date
The centennial's one fundraising goal doesn't have a finish line yet. The Cucamonga Service Station once had a service garage behind it. According to the station's history, the garage was lost to fire and a roof collapse and was later demolished. The station dates the collapse to 2011. The plan is to rebuild it as about 1,000 square feet of museum and office space.
The station's own construction plans page calls the rebuild a fundraising goal. It gives no construction start date, completion date or budget. The nonprofit has no government funding, so donations decide the timeline.
That leaves two centennial offers still open for residents who want to help:
- History of Alta Loma book. A press release about the promotion says visitors who donate at least $10 at the station from Thursday, September 24 through Sunday, October 4, 2026, can get a hardcover copy of the book while supplies last. From today, that leaves this Thursday through Sunday, October 1 to 4, during museum hours.
- Centennial commemorative bricks. The station sells Route 66 Centennial bricks for $100. A press release puts the order deadline at December 31, 2026.
The brick offer runs longer than anything else on the centennial schedule. Right now it's the last centennial date we can find for Foothill Boulevard this year.
A fall Saturday on Foothill, in order
Since the museum is open Thursday through Sunday, a Saturday works for the whole route. Here's one way to string the old and new together:
- Coffee at Red Berry Coffee Bar, 9950 Foothill, Suite G. It opens at 7 a.m., which gives you time before the museum does.
- The Cucamonga Service Station, 9670 Foothill, at 10 a.m. It's a short drive back along Foothill. The station was restored to look like a 1930s Richfield station and holds artifacts from local and Route 66 history.
- The West Gateway Bridge. The Route 66-themed pedestrian and bicycle bridge carries the Pacific Electric Trail over Foothill Boulevard near Baker Avenue. It was dedicated in late 2011, so it isn't new, but it puts the Mother Road theme right over the traffic.
- Lunch at Tequileros Taqueria, 11995 Foothill, Suite 120, or Primecut Taqueria, 11561 W. Foothill, Suite 101. Tequileros lists quesabirria and loaded fries along with its tacos. Primecut's menu includes surf-and-turf burritos.
- Something late at Bora Bora Smoothie Cafe, 10582 Foothill, Suite B140. Waffles and crepes until 11 p.m.
For more weekend ideas around the city, see our guide to parks, trails and wine in Rancho Cucamonga and our earlier look at how the summer weekend reorganized itself. Our Rancho Cucamonga neighborhood page covers the rest of the city.
If you own a home near Foothill Boulevard and want to know how a busier, all-day corridor fits into your plans, Nicholas Cardenas is glad to talk it through with you. Request a free home consultation, and bring your questions about your block of Route 66.
