At the time, Route 66, which was known as the "Main Street of America," was the primary east-west highway in the nation, starting in Chicago and ending in the Southwest and Los Angeles.

The construction of Roy's was one consequence of a Route 66 realignment through Mountain Springs Summit, which made the road bypass Goffs, California to directly connect Needles and Essex and continue west to Amboy.

Burris also brought power to Amboy and Roy's from Barstow by erecting his own poles and wires alongside Route 66, using an old Studebaker pickup truck.

[citation needed] The 1972 opening of Interstate 40 (I-40) in California, which was unconnected to as well as a distance north of Amboy's section of Route 66, meant a literal overnight loss of business.

[3] White made a contract with his friend from high school, Walt Wilson, to manage the property, and later purchased the town from Burris in February 2000 for $710,000 USD.

[4] However, it operated for a shorter period of time, had a limited menu, had management that was reportedly surly to visitors, and had increased gasoline and water costs due to the facility's location and pricing.

[citation needed] The property went into foreclosure for repossession in February 2005, with White and Wilson relinquishing control and returning ownership of Amboy to Bessie, Buster Burris's widow.

In March 2005, with the help of her granddaughter, Bonnie Barnes, Bessie declared the town to be for sale for one week, with the property being sold to the highest bidder that Friday at noon.

The town was sold to Southern California preservation patron Albert Okura,[5] after he made a pledge to Bessie Burris to restore Roy's, keep its original Route 66 aesthetic, reopen it, and to open a new museum showcasing Amboy's history.

[2] Okura, who also owned the Juan Pollo chain restaurants, faced challenges in getting the town's electricity and water services restored and operative.

[6] Bessie Burris continued to visit and work with Okura, collecting memorabilia for the town and Roy's until her death at the age of 91 on May 17, 2008, in nearby Wonder Valley, California.

Okura had experience with preservationist efforts and stewardship, as the owner of the Original McDonald's in San Bernardino, California, which he operated as a museum.

[11] In 1978, Buster Burris married Bessie Van deVeer, a local artist who brought her love of the desert and personality to Amboy.