TV Restaurants

What Happened to Parkette Drive In After Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives?

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 10 Lexington, Kentucky Closed 2022

Current status

Closed

As of October 2026, Parkette Drive In has closed — confirmed via richmondregister.com, June 28, 2022.

What the source shows: The Richmond Register reported on 2022-06-28 that the drive-in's lease holder confirmed an immediate, permanent closure after the business could no longer sustain itself outside the summer months. How we decide a status →

What happened after Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives? 2 episodes

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 10, Episode 4 Aired

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives visited Parkette Drive-In in Lexington, Kentucky, for its "Poor Boy" double-decker burger on the "You Found 'Em" episode, which aired 2010-09-20. The drive-in had operated at the same New Circle Road location since it opened on November 11, 1951, and had displayed its signature neon sign since 1957. According to the Richmond Register, lease holder Bryan Tipton said on 2022-06-28 that Parkette Drive-In had closed immediately, after the business did well each summer but struggled the rest of the year. The Richmond Register reported the sign itself would remain in place as a tribute to the property's history.

A Yelp listing updated 2026-08 marks the restaurant as permanently closed. The Richmond Register reported the property had since been leased to a neighboring car dealership, while Tipton said he still hoped to preserve the drive-in's landmark neon sign in some form on the site.

Food Paradise, Season 19, Episode 15

Parkette Drive-In in Lexington, Kentucky appeared on the episode 'At the Drive-In' (S19E15).

The episodes Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Episode 4
Aired
Title: You Found ‘Em · What was featured: Parkette Drive-In's 'Poor Boy' burger on 'You Found 'Em'
Food Paradise, Season 19, Episode 15
Air date not confirmed
Title: At the Drive-In · What was featured: Longtime Lexington drive-in menu, revisited for this episode
How Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives restaurants have fared: 27% closed →

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All 13 Season 10 episodes →

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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 3 references

  1. richmondregister.com https://www.richmondregister.com/kentucky/lexingtons-iconic-parkette-drive-in-closes/article_aed532f4-f70f-11ec-acea-e78f390b2c50.html
  2. Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/parkette-drive-in-lexington
  3. Google https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Parkette+Drive-In+Lexington+KY
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Record ddd-0363 · checked by Cal Marchetti.