Rocko's Diner

On July 11, 1956, under ownership of Nick Nicholson, the diner opened as Nick's Diner and then was named Hi-Lite Burger Bar.^[2] It was Mission's first highway drive-in.^[3] To celebrate the opening, Nicholson hosted an open-air dance on the driveway of the restaurant.^[4] The Schiller family acquired the Hi-Lite Burger Bar in the early 1980s and renamed it Rocko's Diner in 1986.^[3]

Because the Schiller family owns both the land and the diner, the restaurant is an attractive filming location for production companies.^[5] 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.^[5][3]

The diner is the site for the pilot scenes of Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe in Riverdale.^[5][2] The set used for later scenes in the series was modeled after Rocko's.^[6][7] After the Riverdale scenes were filmed at the diner, fans of the show began visiting the diner.^[5][3] Rocko's named milkshakes after the characters of Archie, Veronica, and Betty, and created a burger called the Jughead Burger.^[5][8] Following Luke Perry's death, the diner created a milkshake to honour him and his acting career.^[6][9]