MYRTLE POINT — The Myrtle Point Kozy Kitchen served a meal fit for a king Wednesday afternoon.

Yes, a real king.

The restaurant played host to the King Abdallah Hussein of Jordan for about an hour and a half. He and his security entourage stopped in for lunch. Hussein is in Oregon on vacation, touring the Northwest on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Word of Hussein’s visit spread fast through town Wednesday. Small crowds gathered in the hot afternoon sunshine to check out what was going on. People staked out spots at the A&W and Highway Deli and Market near the Kozy Kitchen on state Highway 42.

There were rumors and questions aplenty on the street.  

Where is he going next?

What is he doing?

Why is he in Myrtle Point?

People speculated as to where he was going when some of the cars in the king’s entourage left ahead of him.

“The lead cars took 42 south,” someone said.

The consensus of the rumor mill was that he was headed to Bandon to go golfing. But the members of the security entourage were mum on that point. No one at the restaurant knew where the king was headed after the group of cars and motorcycles left with a roar and flashing lights, except that he was headed south.

Kozy Kitchen owner Dave Grover said he wasn’t told who was coming to town until today. Secret Service agents did come into his restaurant about a week ago to plot out the stops a world leader would make.  He said all the secrecy was because the trip was a vacation, not state business.

“It’s not an official visit,” he said. “They wouldn’t let me know what day or what time he would be coming.”

The time ended up being around 12:45 p.m. Members of the security detail came in first.

“They came in about 45 minutes early to clear the parking lot, alley and side streets,’ he said. “It just happened so fast. They swarmed and made sure all the exits were secure.”

Kozy Kitchen served about 30 meals to Hussein’s security detail outside and 11 people in the back room, including the king and his son. Cheeseburgers and nachos were the most popular.

Server Stacie Tessman said she knew about a week ago a dignitary would visit, but she still was a bit nervous Wednesday about waiting on the king’s party.

“OK, I was panicking,” she said.

His trip through the state so far has included the Bend area and other parts of Central Oregon. Though the visit is low-key, Hussein’s entrance and exit was quite a spectacle. Three big SUVs, several cars and big group of motorcycles took up most of the parking lot. Security personnel buzzed in and out of the restaurant and shifted the vehicles around the eatery.

People from inside the restaurant flooded out the front door to take pictures as the king prepared to leave. The SUVs and cars formed a border around the motorcycles. Hussein was among those bikers getting ready to hit the road again. Once the first motorcycle started up, it was just a few minutes and the whole parade was on the road out of town, with a Oregon State Police trooper following, lights ablaze.

Grover said the king appeared enjoy his short time in Myrtle Point.

“He looked like everyone else — having a good time,” he said.

 And what did he order?

“A mushroom swiss burger and onion rings,” Tessman said.