In October 2014, the news got out that longtime owners Nick and Demi Adam had put the historic Ariston Cafe in Litchfield, Illinois, up for sale with a $1.2 million price tag.
In a follow-up story this week, Adam told the Springfield State Journal-Register the Route 66 restaurant remains for sale, although he said he would keep it operating until it’s sold.
“I’m still working. No sale,” Adam said. “We’ve had a couple inquiries. They thought they were serious, but I didn’t.
“The restaurant’s still on the market. So many people say, ‘When are you closing?’ … The restaurant is not closing. It is for sale, but we’re not going to close.”
One thing overlooked in the newspaper report is the price of the restaurant has been dropped, to $975,000. It’s listed through Jim Simpson at Century 21 in Litchfield.
In the meantime, don’t expect the Adams to retire anytime soon.
“I love what I do. We’d like to retire, but if that doesn’t happen, we’ll just continue to work,” said Adam, who noted that he and Demi will have operated the restaurant 50 years come January.
“Maybe we may close for a week or two weeks a year just to take a vacation or a trip,” he said. “I’d like to do Route 66. I haven’t done it.”
The listing includes the restaurant’s old-school counter seats, neon lighting and wooden booths that have been maintained over the years. The restaurant seats 200 and was reported to generate $1.3 million in annual sales. The restaurant is almost across the street from the Litchfield Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center.
The Ariston began in in Carlinville, Illinois, in 1924, on the future original alignment of the Mother Road. The Ariston moved to Litchfield in 1935, a few years after Route 66 was realigned to there.
The Ariston was included on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006 and was inducted into the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame in 1992.
In case you haven’t been in it, the real-estate company has quite a virtual tour of the restaurant.