Yahoo News We visited an American diner hidden in plain sight and felt like we'd travelled back to the 1950s
If you're lucky enough to have travelled to the States, you'll know they take their food and hospitality very seriously.
The portions are big, the restaurants are extravagant and the service is friendly. Their culinary world is also well documented on popular media, with TV shows, films and music videos all set in all-American diners and bars, with waitresses in roller skates and huge, over-the-top milkshakes.
It's a picture we can all imagine in our heads, but it's not something you'd associate with a hidden little turn off a stone's throw away from the A6. Until now.
That's because there's a diner in Myerscough, a village close to Garstang and Preston that's offering the all-American experience - but you don't need your passport to see what it's like.
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Billy Bob's started life as a business in Skipton, where the original branch still exists. However, its owners, the Rogers family, decided to open a second in 2019, the one we visited near Garstang.
Lucy Rogers told LancsLive all about the history of the brand. She said: "We started as a family, over 30 years ago my grandma had a café near Skipton. Eventually, that wasn't in the family anymore so we started with ice cream vans, just in the winter it was a tough gig and when it rains you don't make any money.
"We used to do a lot of agricultural shows and sold a lot of ice creams, up and down the country - the Royal Highland show and then we'd travel all the way down to the bottom of Wales to sell ice cream, but only had a four month window to make any money. So we opened a tea room in Skipton, my dad said he'd build a tea room with an American theme to it - he loves everything Americana."
Already producing their own ice cream, Lucy's dad wanted to build somewhere for families to go and enjoy - which eventually turned into Billy Bob's. Owned by her dad, Gary and step-mum Mandy Rogers, the family have put their all into the diners - and it shows.
Turning up on a Thursday afternoon, LancsLive had a look at the diner ourselves - and to say we were amazed would be a severe understatement. Honestly, we knew the business existed but had never thought to visit - a huge mistake on our part.
Off the beaten track, Billy Bob's (named after Gary's son), cannot be seen from the main road and is set back in a large bit of land. The advantage of this is the Rogers have made the restaurant look like a little community of its own, with a huge building that's exactly like what you'd expect from the deep South.
Attention to detail is incredible here too, with school drop-off signs in the car park and even a raised pavement outside the building, something you'd see in America with their big cars that fill the roads. Outside, a blue truck sits on the grass showcasing Billy Bob's merchandise, a truck that's been shipped over from America.
Like a Tardis, the place looks even bigger on the inside. Not knowing where to look first, you're greeted with an ice cream parlour, pancake station and whole host of American paraphernalia.
What's most impressive too, is that most are legitimate items that have been shipped from overseas - including a genuine yellow school bus from Virginia, which you can dine inside too. Outside there's a huge play area for children, with all equipment made by an Amish family in Pennsylvania.
Talking about her dad's trip to the States to find inspiration for the diner, Lucy explained: "He happened to be driving through Pennsylvania and through a field and saw on the side of the road these wooden toy structures. So he kind of slammed on and went in to speak to the guy.
"I believe he kind of said, I don't even leave my village, we're Amish and don't have a car and don't do business with people outside of here, never mind the UK. Anyway, dad kind of persuaded him and said, yes we're crazy but we're good people.
"He said we'll deal with all the shipping if you build them for us and still to this day, they load our containers." Inside the diner, if you think that's it - you'd be very wrong.
A huge real life Coca Cola truck is inside the diner, which had to be built around the truck as it's that big - and our motorways are too big for the vehicle too. Using their ingenuity and business acumen, the family hollowed the truck and made it into a seating area, where people can enjoy eating and drinking and pretending they're not in rural Lancashire.
Moving on to the menu, it's nothing short of extravagant too. Of course, some extensive research has gone into developing this too, with many visits over to the States. We were kindly given a platter of some of the best food on the menu, which includes a BBQ platter, vegetarian breakfast, beef quesadillas and giant burger.
We were also treated to some drinks, with their Dr Pepper and Mountain Dew which is transported over from America - none of our European versions at Billy Bob's! Another huge selling point of the place is the staff's attitude too, with Lucy telling us many have joined the "family" and have honed their crafts at Billy Bob's, emphasising its family-friendly and welcoming attitude.
All in all, if you want a new experience, some good food and friendly service - you know where to go next.
