The Tropics Restaurant and Lounge of Lincoln, Illinois, and Steve’s Cafe of Chenoa, Illinois, recently were inducted into the Route 66 Hall of Fame of Illinois.
Both businesses now are defunct. Nominees must have made “significant contributions to the character or history of the Illinois portion of Route 66 from 1926 to 1977 while it was an official United States highway in the State of Illinois,” according to the Illinois Route 66 Association.
The inductees were announced June 13, but the information was released only a few days ago through the association’s website and its The 66 News newsletter.
The Tropics was opened by Vince Schwenoha in 1950 after serving in the military in Hawaii. However, contrary to popular opinion, that’s not where he got his inspiration:
After a trip to California, Vince brought back the idea of a, “Tropicburger,” which consisted of two hamburgers on one bun. The original restaurant consisted of a bar, “The South Seas Cocktail Lounge,” and a small dining room that held about 30 people.
Lew Johnson started working at the Tropics as a busboy in 1951. The Tropics was sold and he was hired as the Tropic’s manager. Lew met his wife at the Tropics and they were married in 1955. The Johnsons managed the Tropics together until her death in 1992.
The Tropics came to be known for its pork chops, tenderloins, and steaks. The Johnsons brought Chef Henri from Chicago to set up one of the first smorgasbords in the area. Before long, the Tropics was known to travelers on Route 66 headed back and forth between Chicago and St. Louis. There were theme nights for the Smorgasbord, Oriental on Monday, Tuesday was Country, and Friday was Seafood. They were also known for their French fried lobster!
The Tropics managed to survive fires in 1965 and 1975, but it finally started to decline during the 1990s. The building still exists, but it’s opened only sporadically for the past 20 years. Last year, The Tropics’ famed neon sign was removed, and plans are to eventually restore it.
More about The Tropics may be read here and here at these tiki-themed website.
Steve’s Cafe, reputedly known for “the finest steaks between Chicago and St. Louis,” opened in 1924 as a garage, gas station and lunchroom built by Tom and Charles Elliott. Paul and Ada Lanterman bought it a year later. Elmer and Orville Wahls purchased it in the 1930s, and later owners after that expanded the restaurant.
The Café was one of the first to have air conditioning outside the Chicago area. The first air conditioning equipment, made by Williams Oil-O-Matic Ice Cold Air, was installed in the restaurant and a large sign was put up on the roof. Every time a new model was introduced by Williams, it was brought to Chenoa to replace the older model and to test it as new equipment. On hot days it was not unusual to see people lined up between the front door and the counter, trying to keep cool.
In January, 1934, the restaurant was known as the Wahls Café. It had a juke box which made it popular for teenagers from Chenoa and surrounding towns who, for the price of a 10-cent coke, could spend the evening dancing to Glen Miller, Harry James and other Big Bands. There were white linen tablecloths and napkins, the waiters and waitresses had a dress code, and Steve Wilcox was the day chef.
In 1942, Steve Wilcox took over the restaurant. Never closing – it was said there was no key for the door – Steve’s became known for its steaks and homemade pies. Politicians called ahead to order pies to take with them on their way to and from Springfield. Steve catered to nighttime truck drivers, but it was not uncommon to see the Governor, Senators, and Representatives eating there.
The nominating petition said Steve’s declined after the new four-line U.S. 66 was built. According to “Route 66: Lost and Found,” it closed in 1997.
(Images courtesy of the Illinois Digital Archives)