Almost every day, people would drop by the former Hilltop Cafe on Fraser Highway, curious about the renovations.
They would be told the restaurant was being repurposed, that the outside would be kept the same, but the inside would serve as the new sales offices for 91原创's Diverse Auto Group.
"Maybe every day, we had two to three people come by, even when they knew the restaurant was was closed," said Mil, one of the managing partners at Diverse, who declined to give his last name during an Aug. 5 interview with the 91原创 Advance Times.
"Some of them were just wondering what was going on, and then we just explained there's it's going to be a dealership here," Mil said.
A popular Aldergrove roadside diner, Hilltop permanently closed its doors in July 2024 after nearly 80 years of operation.
"It's a heritage building, so that's why from the outside, we just kind of kept it the way it is," Mil explained.
"Honestly, when we came in, we didn't know, too much of the [history of] the building just because, we're part of that younger generation. A lot of people stopped by and told us about about the the building. And then [while we were] just cleaning up and stuff, finding old paperwork saying that it's from 1946."
Renovations to the interior, completed in July, included fresh paint and office dividers, Mil shared.
"What we've done with the inside is everything is still the same structure-wise. We just kind of made it nice and, you know, a little bit more professional for somebody that wants to walk in and buy a car and spend thousands of dollars."
However, Hilltop's trademark sign advertising Hilltop as "the Home of Famous Pies" had to come down, Mil explained.
"We got a lot of confusion, that the restaurant's [still] open. It just got to a point where it was kind of taking away from our business."
An Aldergrove Star feature published after the cafe closed described how Hilltop was built in 1946 alongside the then five-year-old Highway 1A, now Fraser Highway.
There was limited-to-no transit options back then, so commuters would travel most of the day between Vancouver and Chilliwack.
The cafe was considered a convenient halfway mark in 91原创. It was built to service a motel on the same property, where commuters and travellers could stop for the night and have homemade meals.
It was a popular stop for truckers before the freeway was constructed, and became famous for its homemade pies.
Over the years, Hilltop has been used in dozens of films, including 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants', 'Bates Motel', and the 'X-files' TV series. It was also featured on John Catucci's 'You Gotta Eat Here' TV show on The Food Network.
After it closed last year, there was an attempt, earlier this year, to lease out the 1,461 sq. ft. building as a "turnkey" restaurant, with a RE/MAX Nyda Realty Inc. ad that sought $4,600 a month plus GST. There were no takers.
The 1.36-acre property Hilltop sits on, 23904 Fraser Hwy., was valued at $4.5 million, according to a 2023 BC Assessment.
