“When you’re here, you’re halfway there” (MidPoint Cafe, Mile 1139 on Route 66)

“When you’re here, you’re halfway there” is the motto of the MidPoint Cafe in Adrian, Texas, located on Route 66, 1139 miles from Los Angeles and 1139 miles from Chicago. The motto does not appear on the MidPoint Cafe’s website.
 
 
MidPoint Cafe
There’s only one “MidPoint” on Route 66 - Adrian, Texas! Right now you’re half-way between Los Angeles and Chicago. And on Route 66 there’s only one MidPoint Cafe! Time to take a break from the road and relax. Step back in time to the hey-day of Route 66 at the MidPoint Cafe. Fran H. keeps the traditions of Route 66 alive at her vintage roadside eatery, “The MidPoint Cafe.” Fran has returned the MidPoint Cafe to have the same look and feel it had in the ‘50s and ‘60s. For over 60 years the MidPoint Cafe has been serving travelers on Route 66. Cruise on in to the MidPoint Cafe; world famous for its celebrated “Ugly Crust” pies. Have you had yours today?
   
Texas Heritage Trails - Plains Trail
Adrian
MidPoint of Route 66, “When You’re Here, You’re Halfway There”
MidPoint Sign: “1,139 miles to LA – “1,139 miles to Chicago”
Recommended Eating
MidPoint Café & Gift Shop http://midpoint66.com
Antique Ranch
 
Offbeat Travel
Driving Route 66 Texas: Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle
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Adrian
Traveling West to East before you get to Amarillo, your first stop should be Adrian (exit 22 off I-40). Not only is it the true mid-point of Route 66, halfway between Chicago and Los Angeles, but the Mid Point Café has wonderful pies in a charming vintage luncheonette atmosphere. The railroad and Route 66 made Adrian a boon town until I-40 was built. Then, like many other towns across the USA, it slowly faded away. Route 66 tourists still love to visit this geo-mathematical midpoint of the Mother Road with the motto When you’re here, you’re halfway there. In addition to the café there was a barbeque/antique place when we last visited.
 
Google Books
Route 66: Traveler’s Guide and Roadside Companion
by Tom Snyder
New York, NY: St. Martin’s Griffin
2000
Pg. 60:
Along this section, keep an eye out for the MidPoint water tower in Adrian. Based on averages from the Chicago-Los Angeles Mileage Table in the back of this guide, Adrian is the geo-mathematical center of old Route 66 as you’ve been driving it.
 
So throw yourself a little celebration at the MidPoint Cafe. It’s a friendly place featuring good food nicely served. In addition to the adjoining antique shop, the cafe features furnishings from a period drugstore. What’s more, it’s all for sale. Say Ha—that’s Texan for Hi—when you mosey in. Say hello to Fran, the owner, and be sure to ask for a free MidPoint bumper sticker. As the locals will tell you: When you’re here, you;re halfway there.
 
Google Books
Texas Road Trip:
Stories from Across the Great State and a Few Personal Reflections
by Bryan Woolley
Fort Worth, TX: TCU Press
2004
Pg. 72:
The “Welcome to Adrian” sign across Route 66 from the Midpoint Cafe and Gift Shop has an arrow pointing both ways: “Los Angeles 1,139 miles; Chicago 1,139 miles.” The cafe, whose motto is “When you’re here you’re halfway there,” is owned by Fran Houser, a Massachusetts Yankee who moved to Texas years ago for her daughter’s Asthma. Fran is also the cook.
 
“This place has been in business since 1928, when 66 was new,” she says. “In those days it had a dirt floor.”