TV Restaurants

What Happened to George The Chili King Drive-In? (Des Moines, IA)

Closed verified

As of September 2026, George The Chili King Drive-In has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, December 14, 2025.

Primary source
dinersdriveinsdiveslocations.com ·
Secondary source
Yelp ·

Last verified

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.

  • Season / episode Season 21, Episode 13
  • Original air date
  • Address 5722 Hickman Road, Des Moines, IA 50310

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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. The business's longtime website, georgethechiliking.com, could not be confirmed as still maintained during this review, since active operation ended years earlier.

Featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Season / episode
Season 21, Episode 13
Original air date
Episode title
Oldies But Goodies
What was featured
Chili-topped Coney dogs and chili cheese fries
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
George The Chili King Drive-In

Frequently asked questions

Is George The Chili King Drive-In still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, George The Chili King Drive-In has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, December 14, 2025.

What happened to George The Chili King Drive-In 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. As of September 2026, George The Chili King Drive-In has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, December 14, 2025.

Is George The Chili King Drive-In permanently closed?

As of September 2026, George The Chili King Drive-In has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, December 14, 2025. We publish a closure only with a dated source behind it, and we say plainly when it has not been independently confirmed.

Where is George The Chili King Drive-In located?

5722 Hickman Road, Des Moines, IA 50310. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives featured George The Chili King Drive-In?

Season 21, Episode 13 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, first aired December 12, 2014. The episode is titled “Oldies But Goodies”.

What do reviews say since Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives?

The business's longtime website, georgethechiliking.com, could not be confirmed as still maintained during this review, since active operation ended years earlier. We summarise what dated sources report; we do not publish our own rating.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
5722 Hickman Road, Des Moines, IA 50310
Venue type
diner
Official website
georgethechiliking.com

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Record ddd-0753 · last verified .