What Happened to George The Chili King Drive-In? (Des Moines, IA)
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 21 Des Moines, Iowa Closed 2020
Current status
As of October 2026, George The Chili King Drive-In has closed — confirmed via dinersdriveinsdiveslocations.com, December 14, 2025.
What the source shows: DinersDriveInsDivesLocations.com, updated 2025-12-14, lists George The Chili King as permanently closed after more than 60 years, and a Yelp listing for the drive-in, updated August 2026, also marks it closed. How we decide a status →
- Episode Season 21, Episode 13
- Aired
- Address 5722 Hickman Road, Des Moines, IA 50310
- Website georgethechiliking.com
- Show map
© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO
What happened after Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives?
On 'Oldies But Goodies' (aired 2014-12-12), Guy Fieri visited George The Chili King Drive-In for its chili-topped Coney dogs, chili cheese fries, and bean chili macaroni, all built around a chili recipe the drive-in had used since it opened in 1952. George The Chili King operated as an old-school American drive-in at 5722 Hickman Road in Des Moines for more than 60 years. DinersDriveInsDivesLocations.com, updated 2025-12-14, lists the restaurant as permanently closed, and a Yelp listing for the location, updated August 2026, also marks it permanently closed. According to Triple D Life, the drive-in closed in 2020, though no specific date or external citation accompanies that claim. Whether the business's longtime website, georgethechiliking.com, is still maintained has not been confirmed; the drive-in itself stopped operating years earlier.
The episode
Also in Season 21
Season 21: 48 of 75 still open · 6 renamed, moved or under new owners
-
Ep 12Fisherman's Market
Open - Open
-
Ep 12Smokey D's BBQ
Open -
Ep 13Ernest & Son
Open - Open
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Ep 14Farmer's Shed
Closed -
Ep 14Pine State Biscuits
Open - Closed
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Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.
Sources we checked
- dinersdriveinsdiveslocations.com https://www.dinersdriveinsdiveslocations.com/george-the-chili-king-iowa.html
- Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/george-the-chili-king-drive-in-des-moines-4
- tripledlife.com https://tripledlife.com/restaurant/george-the-chili-king/
We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.
Record ddd-0753 · checked by Cal Marchetti.