The owners of Doc’s Just Off 66 restaurant in downtown Girard, Illinois, announced the restaurant is being put on the market.
Co-owner Casey Claypool, who is also the executive director of the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, stated in a Facebook post that it was a “difficult” decision to put the restaurant for sale.
We want to be very clear: DOCS JUST OFF 66 IS NOT CLOSING. We are committed to continuing operations, serving our customers, supporting our incredible staff, and doing what we do best; putting smiles on faces and creating a welcoming place for everyone who walks through our doors.
That said, over the past 6–7 months, we’ve come to realize something important: this business deserves an owner-operator; someone who can give it their full time, energy, and daily attention. With upcoming changes in our family, we simply aren’t able to do that in the way this business deserves.
This is truly a turn-key opportunity for the right person or family. Docs is a fully operational, full-service restaurant featuring a bar, a classic soda fountain, and a brand-new outdoor beer garden ready for the season. Even more importantly, it comes with an amazing, loyal staff who care deeply about this place and will be a strong foundation for continued success.
According to an online listing by Dan Sperry of The Real Estate Group, the asking price for Doc’s Just Off Route 66 is $350,000.
Steve and Casey Claypool of nearby Chatham, Illinois, purchased the nearly 140-year-old Doc’s Soda Fountain site in late 2021.
Doc’s Just Off 66 at 133 S. Second St. sits a stone’s throw from Illinois Route 4, the original path of U.S. 66 through that part of the state before the highway was realigned to the east during the early 1930s.
The Deck brothers ran Deck’s Drug Store at that location for many years. Bill Deck died at age 91 in 2018, and Bob Deck died at age 82 in 2013.
The Deck brothers’ grandfather started Deck’s Drug Store in 1884. The soda fountain dates to 1929.
Bob and Renae Ernst bought the drugstore building in 2007 and renamed it Doc’s Soda Fountain, and the Decks loaned them their pharmacy collection.
(Image of Doc’s Just Off 66 in Girard, Illinois, via The Real Estate Group)