Is Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket Still Open? (Willowbrook, IL)

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 5, Episode 9 Aired February 2, 2009

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives featured Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket in Willowbrook for the 'Return to Route 66' episode (S5E9), which aired 2009-02-02, highlighting the restaurant's fried chicken. Dell Rhea's has served fried chicken along historic U.S. Route 66 since 1946, according to its own website, chickenbasket.com. The restaurant sits in DuPage County near present-day Interstate 55, according to Wikipedia's entry on the restaurant, revised 2026-09-04. Chickenbasket.com, last modified 2026-09-07, lists current Sunday hours of 11 am to 9 pm, a working online ordering system, and links to the restaurant's Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts. The site also lists a Buffet Menu, a Catering page, and a private event space called the Route 66 Room. The restaurant's phone number, (630) 325-0780, and social-media links are also posted on the current site, according to chickenbasket.com.

Food Paradise, Season 17, Episode 12

Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket served its fried chicken buffet from its longtime location along historic U.S. Route 66 in Willowbrook, Illinois, near present-day Interstate 55. According to Wikipedia (revised 2026-09-04), the restaurant sits in DuPage County along the historic highway route. The restaurant's own site, chickenbasket.com, lists current hours (Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.), a buffet menu, catering, and a private Route 66 Room, and the site's server reported a last-modified date of September 8, 2026.