The Chili Parlor, a mainstay in Springfield, Illinois, for almost 80 years, is under new ownership.
Roy and Stephanie Beal for now haven’t revealed the new owner’s identity, but they confirmed to the Springfield State Journal-Register that the restaurant had changed hands.
The Beals put The Chili Parlor up for sale in 2022 but pledged to keep it open until a buyer was found. They owned it for seven years.
The restaurant, now at 820 S. Ninth St. (aka Route 66) since 1997, was founded as The Den in 1945 by chili legend Joe Rogers in another spot just one block off Route 66.
And today the business still serves the same recipe, which can be ordered with or without beans, with or without grease and at any degree of hotness. Anyone brave enough to take the Firebrand Challenge and finish a bowl of the spiciest blend gets to put their name on the wall. […]
But even more than catching national attention, the Rogers’ chili brand is one of the vestiges of Springfield’s past when chili parlors were the fast food of the day and as easy to find.
Springfield once claimed to be the “chili capital of the world” based, in part, on the number of chili parlors populating the city – as many as 30 – and for being home to several chili canning factories.
The Den and Dew Chilli Parlor are the only two that have stood the test of time.
(A serving of Joe Rogers chili in 2009 by IronStef via Flickr)
With or without grease? I got heartburn just looking at the picture.
Joe Rogers chili always has offered an option with extra oil. No lie.