Emma Jean's Holland Burger
Emma Jean’s Holland Burger Café is more than just a roadside diner — it is one of Victorville’s living links to the golden age of Route 66. The café opened in 1947, a time when America was on the move after World War II and the Mother Road was filled with soldiers returning home, families heading west, and truckers keeping the nation supplied.
The building itself has a local story baked into its walls. It was constructed by Bob and Kate Holland out of sturdy cinder blocks made at the old fiber tile plant south of town, on the site where the Cemex plant now stands. The Hollands’ café quickly became a favorite stop for travelers and truck drivers alike, serving hearty food in a friendly atmosphere at the edge of the Mojave Desert.
Among its most loyal customers was a cement truck driver named Richard Gentry. For 31 years, Richard hauled loads along Route 66, and almost as faithfully as his daily routes, he stopped in at the Holland Burger Café. His wife, Emma Jean, worked as a waitress there, serving regulars and newcomers with the kind of hospitality that made diners along Route 66 famous.
In 1979, Richard purchased the café for Emma Jean. It was a gesture of love but also one of preservation. By that time, the Holland Burger Café was already recognized as the oldest surviving restaurant in Victorville, standing strong as the city and the highway changed around it. Richard renamed the place Emma Jean’s Holland Burger Café, giving his wife’s name a permanent place on the Route 66 map.
Emma Jean continued to be a central figure at the café until her passing in 1996. Richard followed in 2008. But the story did not end with them. Their family has continued to operate Emma Jean’s, keeping the traditions alive for a new generation of travelers. Today, the café remains a beloved stop for locals, long-haul truckers, and Route 66 enthusiasts who want to experience a piece of history served with a burger and fries.
Like so many landmarks along the Mother Road, Emma Jean’s is more than a business — it is a gathering place, a memory bank, and a piece of living heritage that ties Victorville’s present to its past.
