Old Log Cabin Restaurant is Rustic Dining on Route 66

If you’re looking for privacy in Pontiac, don’t dine at the Old Log Cabin Restaurant.

“We have a lot of regulars who’ve been eating here for years, and when tourists come in, they’re not shy,” says Deb Trainor, chuckling. “People want to know who you are and where you’re from. Our customers are like family.”

Deb’s husband, Brad, bought the Pontiac restaurant from her mother in 1987. Deb’s mother had owned it since 1973, when Deb was a junior in high school.

“In October, I celebrated 40 years working here,” Deb Trainor says.

Originally opened in 1926 as a roadside lunchroom and gas station called the Log Cabin Inn, the rustic Old Log Cabin Restaurant hasn’t changed much over the years. Mother Road memorabilia covers the interior walls, which still have the original siding.

“We get Route 66 travelers from all over the world,” Trainor says. “They’ve come from France, Italy, Germany and Spain.”

In addition to the international visitors, locals flock to the Old Log Cabin for its hearty, home-style cooking.

“Ninety percent of our food is prepared from scratch – we rarely use canned foods,” Trainor says, noting that breakfast represents their busiest meal. “Most customers order eggs and hash browns with bacon or sausage. We make skillets, too, but as my husband says, this is a meat-and-potatoes community.”

Cheeseburgers remain most popular at lunch, though the menu boasts a whole lot more – hot sandwiches and melts, fish, chicken, pork, steaks, soups, salads and appetizers. Daily specials include pot roast, spaghetti, meatloaf, chicken-fried steak and walleye. Be sure to save room for dessert, as customers consider the Old Log Cabin’s homemade coconut cream and rhubarb pies local legends.