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 The
only restaurant in Carlock, Illinois, may not seem particularly special
at first glance. Located next to the gas station and across the street
from the elementary school and fire department, it looks like a typical
American coffee shop, a nice place to stop for a bite to eat, but nothing
to write home about.
We
stopped in for breakfast yesterday on the recommendation of Jeanie
Wolf, the owner of the local KOA campground. "You'll enoy your meal,
and you'll also enjoy finding out about the restaurant," she said mysteriously.
The
Countryside Family Restaurant doesn't look unusual inside, either.
A long table on one side was clearly the meeting place for locals. We
sat down at a booth, and a smiling June Atherton brought
us menus. The menus revealed the secret of Carlock's cafe.
Carlock
has had a restaurant for as long as anyone can remember, but in 1993,
it was on the verge of disappearing. The owners had decided to close the
cafe, and things looked bleak for the farmers who'd counted on it for
breakfast and coffee every morning.
Some
creative thinkers in the community decided that the restaurant was too
important to lose. Within two months, the Carlock Community Corporation
was formed and enough capital was raised to purchase the building. Many
of the stockholders and other supporters volunteered to clean, paint and
remodel, and a professional manager was hired. In February, 1994, the
Countryside Family Restaurant opened its doors. It doesn't look like it's
in any danger of closing them soon.
The
menu is an all-American affair, and the prices are so reasonable they
almost seem like misprints. Dinners run from US$1.90 for a hamburger to
US$9.95 for a ribeye steak with all the fixings. Senior citizens pay even
less, and many snowbirds make Carlock a stop every year as they travel
to Florida. I had a Western omelet big enough to keep hunger at bay for
at least two days, and Mark had a Philly cheese steak sandwich of similar
size.
As
we left, Betty Holliger, the cashier, invited us to return whenever
we're in the area. When we got back to the Phoenix, we put a big red circle
in our road atlas around Carlock.
Countryside
Family Restaurant
Location: Exit 120 (Carlock) off Interstate 74 near Bloomington; look
for the tall Amoco sign
Mailing address: P.O. Box 324
Carlock, IL 61725
(309) 376-3302
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