Mr. D'z 105 E Andy Devine Ave

About Mr. D’z

Mr. D’z Roue 66 Diner is a direct link to nearly 100 years of Route 66 history in western Arizona. An advertisement published in the Kingman Miner dated January 1940 reads, “Kingman Café No. 2 has moved into the new café building of the Kimo Shell Service. The same excellent food and service in a new and beautiful location.” It was built by Oscar Osterman, a Swedish immigrant.

The café was later renamed Kimo – Ki for Kingman, Mo for Mohave County. It then operated under the management of Carl Osterman’s wife, Clara. She was a former Harvey girl and manager of the Casa Linda Café.

In 1992, Roy Dunton with son Scott, owners of Dunton Motors Dream machines purchased the property, remodeled, and expanded the eatery into adjoining former service station building. It was renamed Mr. D’z, for Roy Dunton. In 2006, Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King put the diner, and its signature root beer, in the national spotlight during a segment of Oprah and Gayle’s Big Adventure.

The Dunton family association with Route 66 started with “Goldroad Garage – N.R. Dunton – Trucking – Mining Machinery – School Bus Lines – Authorized Distributor Standard Oil Stations, Inc.” established in about 1925.

On March 29, 1939, during a break in the filming of Gone with the Wind, Clark Gable traveled to Kingman to wed Carol Lombard. Serving as best man was his close friend Otto Winkler, an agent with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. The Reverend Kenneth M. Engle of the “First Methodist Episcopal” church officiated the service. Howard Cate, principal of the Kingman High School, and the reverends wife served as witnesses.