The Igloo earns top honor in Illinois

Even at 82 years old, the Igloo in Peru still looks pretty cool to returning guests, visitors and tourists.

Popular with everyday customers since the World War II era, through its “American Graffiti”-like drive-in days in the 1950s to today, the eatery on the west side of Peru along U.S. 6 still is winning over new fans.

This week, an article on The Food Network's "Best Diners in the Country" singled out The Igloo as No. 1 in Illinois. It's one of those online articles where you click arrows for photos and long captions, state by state. You can read it at: [ https://www.foodnetwork.com/restaurants/photos/best-diners-in-the-country.]

The article has a photo of a huge pounded pork tenderloin sandwich on a table with a red boomerang patterned-tabletop and notes how Rich and Chris Decker bought the local institution in 2010 from Louie and Stephanie “Pat” Mazzorana.

When they bought it, they didn’t change much of anything, except for a freshening up and restoration that brought in new chairs and floors and changed the boomerang-pattern tabletops from blue to red.

“It’s a nice little surprise for us. I got contacted about two months ago by a lady that writes for the Food Network for the website and said she was writing about the best diners in the country,” Rich Decker said. “It’s quite an honor. Food Network — it’s not like some little dining website. It’s a biggie. It’s kind of humbling. It’s nice to get our name out there as No. 1 in Illinois.”

He takes great pride in the food mentioned on the website, from his sandwiches of the month such as one inspired by French onion soup, to the chili and root beer not mentioned in the article to the root beer that gets a not in the online story.

Decker said Wednesday night he had not talked to anyone about the article, other than his wife, but it’s available now on the Food Network’s website. He’s glad he can keep the tradition going.

“It’s more than a restaurant. It’s part of the community. It’s a part of the home,” said Decker, who grew up nine blocks away, first walking to the Igloo, then riding his bike there and then driving there after he got his license.

The restaurant has a map filled with pins and invites customers to place a pin in their hometown or where they’re living now. There’s a pin in most cities and towns in the entire Midwest, and pushpins clog major metropolitan areas such as Denver, Los Angeles and San Diego. People from other countries write the name of their town and nation in the margin.

“We have them from anywhere from Russia, to Chile to Afghanistan,” Decker said. And many of the customers are folks coming back into town to see family and friends, or just local residents and students heading out for lunch or supper and conversation.

“I look out some times and see four generations out there,” he said, and sometimes, the oldest in those groups came in with their families many decades ago.

Prior to taking the plunge and buying the Igloo, he worked as an area supervisor for McDonald’s.

“When I was growing up I never thought I would own the place, but funny how life goes,” Decker said.

On the web: 50 states of diners

foodnetwork.com/restaurants/photos/best-diners-in-the-country