The long-closed Filling Station restaurant along Route 66 in Lexington, Illinois, is being renovated and soon will reopen as Kelly’s on 66.
Kelly tells BNRS “Kelly’s on 66” menu will feature pizza, fried chicken, sandwiches, homemade bread, a large array of salads and desserts plus the restaurant will have a beer and wine license.Kelly says he and his wife Dawn plan to attract both Route 66 nostalgia travelers and locals with a Rt 66 themed, “family friendly” restaurant they plan to open in July. […]According to Kelly, the building has had three additions over the years, and his plan is to reconfigure the floor plan with a large dining area, new restrooms and a bar serving beer and wine.
Tobin has worked a general manager at several restaurants in region.
The Filling Station closed in 2011 after its owners suffered health problems and was about two years behind in its taxes during the closure. The restaurant regularly had been listed in the Route 66 Dining and Lodging Guide, published by the National Historic Route 66 Federation.
Lexington probably is best-known in Route 66 circles for Memory Lane, a stretch of original Route 66 on the north side of town that’s used only for cycling or walking — except on special occasions, when it’s opened to vehicular traffic.
(Hat tip to Kelly Tobin; Google Street View excerpt of the Filling Station building in 2016)