Hall of Fame member, inducted 1998
1376 Joliet Road, Romeoville, Illinois 60446, United States
The White Fence Farm was established in the early 1920s by Stuyvesant ‘Jack’ Peabody, son of Peabody Coal Company founder Francis S. Peabody and himself CEO of Peabody Coal at the time. It was opened on a 12-acre plot that Peabody owned across what would become U.S. Route 66 from his 450-acre horse farm. It is said that Jack Peabody often had weekend guests at his horse farm, but there was no restaurant in the area where he could entertain them – so he started one himself. The roadside restaurant, which opened in a converted farmhouse, was known then for its hamburger sandwiches and Guernsey milk products, including ice cream.
By the time U.S. Route 66 opened in November 1926, White Fence Farm had already served several thousand customers. It was reviewed several times during the Peabody years by the early restaurant critic Duncan Hines, who had been a fan of the restaurant since the late 1920s. After Prohibition ended, Jack Peabody promoted California wines at the restaurant and helped to revive the California wine industry, as he had earlier helped to revive thoroughbred horse racing in Illinois during the 1910s and 1920s. Peabody operated the restaurant successfully until his death in 1946. After that, the restaurant was first leased to several different renters, then eventually sold by Jack’s son, Stuyvesant Peabody Jr.
Since 1954, the restaurant has been owned and operated by the Hastert family. Robert Hastert Sr. was the first family owner-manager. Hastert had begun as a wholesale poultry dealer at the Aurora Poultry Market during World War II and later owned the Harmony House restaurant in Aurora, Illinois, which he had opened four years before he bought White Fence Farm. The property had gone through several operators/owners after being sold by the Peabody estate.
The restaurant building has expanded several times under the Hasterts. It now has several dining rooms, with seating for more than 1,000 customers. It also features a side room and gallery that includes an antique car collection, other antiques, and Jack Peabody’s collection of original Currier & Ives prints, among other nostalgic displays. During the summer, the restaurant has an outdoor petting zoo.
Phone: (630) 739-1720
https://whitefencefarm-il.com/Mon: Closed
Tue - Sat: 04:00 pm – 08:00 pm
Sun: 12:00 pm – 08:00 pm