The historic Palms Grill Cafe in downtown Atlanta, Illinois, soon will have a new tenant — the Missy’s Sweet Shoppe bakery.
Missy Gaither is leasing the property from the owner, the Atlanta Public Library. She said in a phone interview she would open there in early June.
“I was looking for a storefront, and it was close to my hometown” of Lincoln, she said.
She said Missy’s would offer cookies, cupcakes and other bakery items. It would not be a full-service restaurant as it had been in the recent past.
Gaither said she hadn’t get determined the operating hours of her new venture, but it likely would be open Wednesday through Sunday.
The Palms Grill, which was built in 1934, had been closed for many years but was restored and reopened in 2009.
It quickly became a must-stop for Route 66 travelers who adored its small-town charm. The restaurant sits on an old alignment of Route 66 that goes right through the village’s downtown.
The restaurant closed in late summer 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The library board began taking lease offers in early 2021 but apparently with no takers until recently.
(Hat tip to Route 66 World; Image of the Palms Grill Cafe in Atlanta, Illinois, by Jim Grey via Flickr)