Childers Eatery - Camp (East Peoria) — Restaurant in East Peoria

I went to the East Peoria Childers location for brunch with my boyfriend and two of our friends and it was PERFECT! We got seated quickly, and the host was so sweet asking if we wanted a booth or a table. (Getting a choice in preference on a Saturday is unheard of with the high volume!) Our server appeared right away and told us about the promotional drinks, and made sure to mention freshly squeezed juices and mimosas! Since I’m a die hard Childers lover I already knew I needed to start off with the bacon Gouda lollipops. They arrived hot and fresh with dipping sauces that never disappoint. I could honestly drink them for a meal and be happy they’re so good. Our food came at the perfect time, hot and fresh plated beautiful that made everyone break out in a happy food dance before even the first bite. I had the chilaquiles, my boyfriend had the breakfast crossiant, my best friend the lemon berry French toast, and her husband had a full order of biscuits and gravy with a side of hashbrowns. We all shared a few bites of each others because everything just looked so good! No take out boxes because we did not leave a crumb on those plates. Our check was brought to us promptly and I have to compliment the server on never letting the coffee pot go empty! She even explained we could pay on our phone or she would be happy to take the payment for us. It was seriously the BEST experience. I love Childers and I honestly won’t go anywhere else for breakfast. There’s so many options, I’d rather keep going and try them all then risk going somewhere else and hate my experience. Everyone in that building deserves a raise, especially the chef because I have no idea how that much deliciousness could even...

We visited around 9:30 AM. I'll start off by saying the food is excellent, and the staff were super friendly.

I believe the restaurant design is meant to get people out the door as quickly as possible.

We first requested a booth, but once we sat down, I noticed the light above the table wasn't a warm light, but an imposing cool bright nagging light that gave off a very artificial feel. It's easy enough to unscrew the bulb, but once I did that the second issue I had was the glare from the sun reflecting off the windshields in the parking lot. There were not window treatments, so we asked to switch tables. I felt like a jerk asking to move seats, but who wants to have breakfast while staring at the sun. Also, it's not like there are beautiful sights outside the window. It's a strip mall, so you can look at cars in a parking lot, an electrical power station, and a Culver's.

No other booths were available, so we got a table with chairs. The chairs are the most uncomfortable chairs. They have metal bars that dig into your hips and I imagine they leave bruises on a lot of people. If you are child sized then it won't be an issue.

Another mild complaint is the weird outdoor sign to the right of the bar. It also has that bright artificial light feel and really belongs outdoors.

tl;dr

Food/staff were excellent. Atmosphere and comfort are horrible.

Although it's close to home, I do not plan to visit this location again, but I will try out their...

We always eat at the Junction City Childers location, so we already had high expectations for the quality of food and level of service. The East Peoria location did not disappoint. My wife and I stopped in at 10AM on Thursday for an early lunch and we were really impressed with the look of the place! I was expecting it to look like the old Panera that occupied that space before, but we both gasped a bit when we walked in at how beautiful the details were behind the bar and the uniqueness of this location. All of the Childers location have a slightly different 'vibe' but the EP location is really nice.

I wasn't sure if I could order lunch at 10AM, but our friendly waitress said that we could order anything on their menu all day! We had the deconstructed Guacamole as an appetizer (highly recommend... the cheddar dusted tortilla chips are amazing on their own) and then my wife had the Naan Grilled Cheese & Tomato soup and I had a BLT with this really good maple aioli on it.

All in all... it was a great lunch. Not cheap (About $50 total when you include the tip) but quality food, quality experience and quality service. ...