Old Route 66 Family Restaurant — Restaurant in Dwight

Review Date: June 11th, 2016

Old Roads, New Traditions.

After running a 5k obstacle course, you tend to develop an appetite. So, what do you do after a muddy run? You fuel up and recharge. That is what my dad and I did at the Old Route 66 Restaurant after each and every Warrior Dash.

With a 2.5 hour drive looming ahead of us and our bodies energy levels needing replenished, I kept my eyes peeled for restaurants just outside of Channahon, IL. Old Route piqued both of our interests and we set course for there.

Upon pulling up and seeing the whole side of the building painted, I knew we needed to get a picture in front of it. After snapping a quick photo, we headed in for grub. We strolled in with mud caked on random parts of our body. There was an attempt to wash it all off but that is just impossible. The few other customers in the restaurant threw some goofy looks our way but we knew we looked a bit silly. Anyways, the waitress seated us promptly and brought us much needed water. As we sucked down the water, we looked over the menu. With any new place, you have to take a few minutes to adjust to the menu and the tastes of the area. Luckily, the menu had all familiar foods and tons of things that sounded good.

My dad ended up settling for a tenderloin with coleslaw. I spied a turkey & bacon club on the menu and instantly knew that is what I needed. With the orders placed, we sat and talked about the mud and obstacle course that is the Warrior Dash. It wasn’t long before our food was brought out to us and we dug in.

Each bite was a delicacy. I would say that the food here is normally top notch, but after sun/run/mud we just experienced, it made everything taste a level above fantastic. Both my dad and I loved every bite and were sad when our plates were empty. As we finished up and left, we headed over to Ambler’s Texaco Gas Station to check out an antique gas station before hitting the road.

We don’t live anywhere near this restaurant, so we can’t really pop in and try it after a normal day. That is okay though, as we have started a tradition of coming here after each Warrior Dash we partake in. It gives us something to look forward to not just the day of but also the time...

The restaurant is beautifully decorated as a Route 66 diner. Our waitress, Gigi, was attentive and fast. We sat at our table until closing, and no one was actively trying to shoo us out. Those are the reasons for the 3 stars.

The photo is the 8 oz. Chopped Steak dinner with steamed vegetables. That is not chopped steak. That is a hamburger patty. If I wanted a hamburger patty, I would have ordered exactly that. A 'chopped steak' with onions is cubed beef sauteed with onions. Not a hamburger patty. I won't be returning just because of this ridiculous false advertising. Just so you know, to the restaurant management: if you had an option other than ribeye for a steak dinner, I would have happily paid for it. Selling a hamburger patty as a steak is unacceptable.

At just after 9pm (and we were fully aware that the restaurant closed at 10pm), the staff started putting chairs on tables and mopping. Cleaning sections before closing I can appreciate, but doing this right by our table with cleaning chemicals was not okay. We felt like we were being shooed out passive-aggressively for 45 minutes. The cleaning staff were literally glaring at us. This is never acceptable. 10pm is 10pm, not 9:15pm. This is the second reason I won't be returning. I would rather drive the hour to Bloomington for great service that I'll pay double for.

Lastly, I needed to use the restroom before we left the restaurant at 10pm. I got up and went to the women's restroom at 9:55 to find that the floor was wet and the door propped open. None of the staff even attempted to accommodate me. I had to use the toilet without any privacy, and risk slipping on the wet floor. I don't know what kind of management this place has, but putting your customers at risk like that and forcing them to be shamed for needing to use the restroom is...

Food was really good but was really disappointed after leaving. Had breakfast, 2 adults and 3 kids, and was $82 Math wasn’t adding up to the prices in the menu. Walked to the front and watched them add everything up and total came to $65. I was told this extra $17 was gratuity added. The owner or manager told me this was 15% mandatory gratuity which is what I tip anyway so no big deal. Ran my card and handed me a receipt that showed it was actually 20% gratuity, not the 15% she quoted. I saw a line to add a “custom gratuity” so did the math and started writing the 15% and she stopped me and said “no it’s mandatory 18%, three of our waitresses have been stiffed today” This is just awful business practice. Because other patrons didn’t tip earlier in the day, they will actually create a mandatory tip for customers later. She didn’t even ask how my service was, just demanded I pay a tip she came up with. Just beware and ask what the daily gratuity is, bc obviously they will tell you a number that isn’t accurate and hope you don’t question it. We will not be back and I really suggest telling your future customers what tip you will make them pay before ordering next time. Was in Chicago all weekend and never once had a restaurant tell me what tip I had to leave. Isn’t the tip based on the service provided? Our waitress literally took our order, brought out our food and we never saw her again. Not one refill of out $3.50 soda’s. Still, we understood it was a holiday and the place was busy. She was getting a great tip either way, just ruined our experience being lied to about the % and the reason. Again, food is great but very dishonest and...