You might consider yourself a fan of Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. But are you a “Goes to 1,000 Diners, Drive-In and Dives”-level fan?
Chances are, you’ve been nowhere near the amount of restaurants that superfan Bill Grella has visited since the show first premiered in 2007. As of this past Saturday, he just reached a new milestone: His 1,000th visit to a diner, drive-in, and/or dive.
To give you a sense of scale, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives has chronicled over 1,498 restaurants (and counting), meaning Grella has visited a whopping 2/3rds of the restaurants featured on the show. Based in the D.C. area, Grella says he’s traveled all the way from Maine to Florida—even flying to Honolulu, Hawaii, to dine at the Rainbow Drive-In—with many places in between.
“The thing I love about my journey is the food, of course,” Grella says. “But [what’s] almost as fun for me is the experience and making friends with other Triple D fans and the restaurant staff.”
Bill Grella, left, in front of Bub and Pop’s in Washington, D.C., the 1000th Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives restaurant he’s visited.
For his 1,000th visit, Grella visited Bub and Pop’s, a D.C.-based sandwich shop that serves loaded Philadelphia-style hoagies; Fieri shot an episode there back in 2015. To celebrate the achievement, Grella was joined by family and friends he’s made through his journey, including John and Colleen Bistor, who have each have been to 718 restaurants featured on the show.
When asked what meals have been the most memorable, Grella says there are a few stand-outs: the lobster ravioli at Rino’s Place in Boston; the lobster pie at The Maine Diner in Wells, Maine; and the brisket at The Pecan Lodge in Dallas. But Grella is hesitant to pick a favorite. “I never say a place is my favorite because the places are so diverse,” he says. “Some places I enjoy more for the atmosphere,” he adds, saying that Lauer Krauts in Brighton, Colorado, and Chaps Pit Beef in Baltimore have impressed him both for their great food as well as their delightful staff.
Bob Grella, middle with a black hat, with friends at family at Bub and Pop’s.
If you, too, want to start chipping away at the nearly 1,500 spots Fieri has visited on Triple D, take some ordering advice from Grella. “Some people will only try what Guy had, but I don’t. I have fallen in love with small plates since the portions are smaller and in many cases [are] the best items on the menu,” and adds that experiencing the place is just as important as enjoying the food.
Mackenzie Filson is a food writer and contributing digital food producer at Delish. Her favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate-pine and if wine was an astrological sign she’d be a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. She’s never met a bag of Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos she didn’t eat in one sitting.
